Carriage of Rifampicin- and Multidrug-Resistant <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> in Apparently Healthy Camels: A View Through a Zoonosis Lens
<i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> poses a significant global concern in human and veterinary medicine due to its resistance to multiple antimicrobials. Limited research has been carried out on rifampicin-resistant <i>P. aeruginosa</i>, particularly in food-producing animals such...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-05-01
|
| Series: | Microbiology Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2036-7481/16/6/107 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> poses a significant global concern in human and veterinary medicine due to its resistance to multiple antimicrobials. Limited research has been carried out on rifampicin-resistant <i>P. aeruginosa</i>, particularly in food-producing animals such as camels. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the occurrence of rifampicin- and multidrug-resistant <i>P. aeruginosa</i> in apparently healthy camels. Nasal swabs and tissue samples were collected from one hundred apparently healthy slaughtered camels, and they were subjected to bacteriological isolation and identification of <i>P. aeruginosa</i>. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed, followed by phenotypic and genotypic detection of ESBL-producing <i>P. aeruginosa</i> isolates. Twenty-two <i>P. aeruginosa</i> strains were investigated for the <i>rpoB</i> gene, including rifampicin-resistant isolates. <i>P. aeruginosa</i> was found in 16% (16/100) of the investigated apparently healthy slaughtered camels. <i>P. aeruginosa</i> was confirmed in sixteen and six isolates from nasal swabs and tissue samples, respectively, by pigment production on cetrimide agar. The most predominant beta-lactamase-encoding gene in twenty-two ESBL-producing isolates was <i>bla</i><sub>PER</sub> (40.9%), followed by <i>bla</i><sub>CTX-M</sub> (36.4%), <i>bla</i><sub>TEM</sub> (31.8%), and <i>bla</i><sub>SHV</sub> (27.3%). Multidrug resistance was identified in 54.5% (12/22) of <i>P. aeruginosa</i> isolates. The <i>rpoB</i> gene was detected in 11 (50%) out of 22 <i>P. aeruginosa</i> strains, with eleven positive isolates being regarded as rifampicin-resistant. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis of a rifampicin- and multidrug-resistant <i>P. aeruginosa rpoB</i> gene sequence revealed a genetic relatedness to <i>P. aeruginosa</i> strains retrieved from human clinical cases. In conclusion, this study provides a snapshot on the occurrence of rifampicin- and multidrug-resistant <i>P. aeruginosa</i> among apparently healthy camels. In line with a possible risk of animal-to-human transfer, further molecular studies on rifampicin-resistant <i>P. aeruginosa</i> in animals are required to better understand and combat this serious zoonotic pathogen. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2036-7481 |