title: Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli sequence type 131 H30-R and H30-Rx subclones in retail chicken meat, Italy.
abstract: Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli sequence type 131 (ST131), typically fluoroquinolone-resistant (FQ-R) and/or extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing, has emerged globally. Among clinical isolates, ST131, primarily its H30-R and H30-Rx subclones, accounts for most antimicrobial-resistant E. coli and is the dominant E. coli strain worldwide. We assessed its prevalence and characteristics among raw chicken meat samples on sale in Palermo, Italy. A collection of 237 fluoroquinolone resistant and ESBL/AmpC producing E. coli isolates, which had been isolated from processed retail chicken meat in the period May 2013-April 2015, was analyzed. Established polymerase chain reaction methods were used to define ST131 and its H30 subclones, ESBL, AmpC, and plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) determinants. Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) was performed to assess the relatedness among ST131 isolates. Out of the 237 E. coli isolates, 12 isolates belonged to the phylogenetic group B2. Based on the molecular definition of ExPEC, all isolates were attributed with the status of ExPEC. SNP-PCR results confirmed that nine isolates were ST131. SNP-PCR for H30-R and H30-Rx subclones showed that six and three ExPEC ST131 were positive for H30-R and H30-Rx, respectively. The results of AFLP showed that, except for four isolates grouped into two clusters which proved to be indistinguishable, the isolates under study were genetically heterogeneous. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of H30-R and H30-Rx subclones in animal food samples. Our findings appear to support the role of food chain in their transmission to humans.
authors.affiliation: PhD course in Molecular Medicine, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy; Department of Sciences for Health Promotion and Mother-Child Care "G. D'Alessandro", University of Palermo, Via del Vespro 133, I-90127 Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Arash
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ghodousi
authors.affiliation: Department of Sciences for Health Promotion and Mother-Child Care "G. D'Alessandro", University of Palermo, Via del Vespro 133, I-90127 Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Celestino
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bonura
authors.affiliation: Department of Sciences for Health Promotion and Mother-Child Care "G. D'Alessandro", University of Palermo, Via del Vespro 133, I-90127 Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Di Carlo
authors.affiliation: Toplab University of Applied Science Leiden, Zernikedreef 11, 2333 CK Leiden, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Willem B
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: van Leeuwen
authors.affiliation: Department of Sciences for Health Promotion and Mother-Child Care "G. D'Alessandro", University of Palermo, Via del Vespro 133, I-90127 Palermo, Italy. Electronic address: caterina.mammina@unipa.it.
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mammina
mesh_terms: D054458:Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis; D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens / Q000382:microbiology*; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D000072282:Extraintestinal Pathogenic Escherichia coli / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D024841:Fluoroquinolones / Q000494:pharmacology; D005516:Food Microbiology; D007558:Italy; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology*; D010802:Phylogeny; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D024841:Fluoroquinolones
keywords: AFLP; Chicken meat; E. coli; ESBL; ExPEC; H30-R; H30-Rx; ST131; fimH30