Serogroup Prevalence, Virulence Profile and Antibiotic Resistance of Avian Pathogenic <i>Escherichia coli</i> Isolated from Broiler Chicken

Avian pathogenic <i>Escherichia coli</i> (APEC) causes avian colibacillosis, leading to significant economic losses and concerns for food safety in the poultry industry. This study focused on examining the virulence gene profile, antibiotic resistance prevalence, and resistance patterns...

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Main Authors: Showkat A. Shah, Masood S. Mir, Shayaib A. Kamil, Majid Shafi, Mudasir A. Rather, Azmat A. Khan, Zahoor A. Wani, Sheikh Adil, Fatmah M. Alqahtani, Majid Alhomrani, Manzoor Wani
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Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Veterinary Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/12/6/592
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author Showkat A. Shah
Masood S. Mir
Shayaib A. Kamil
Majid Shafi
Mudasir A. Rather
Azmat A. Khan
Zahoor A. Wani
Sheikh Adil
Fatmah M. Alqahtani
Majid Alhomrani
Manzoor Wani
author_facet Showkat A. Shah
Masood S. Mir
Shayaib A. Kamil
Majid Shafi
Mudasir A. Rather
Azmat A. Khan
Zahoor A. Wani
Sheikh Adil
Fatmah M. Alqahtani
Majid Alhomrani
Manzoor Wani
author_sort Showkat A. Shah
collection DOAJ
description Avian pathogenic <i>Escherichia coli</i> (APEC) causes avian colibacillosis, leading to significant economic losses and concerns for food safety in the poultry industry. This study focused on examining the virulence gene profile, antibiotic resistance prevalence, and resistance patterns of APEC isolates. A total of 250 bacterial strains were collected from birds affected by colibacillosis. Serogrouping revealed diverse serotypes, with O2 being the most common (16%), followed by O1, O8, and O76. All isolates tested positive for at minimum one virulence gene, with 7.2% carrying all five targeted genes, particularly in serogroups O1, O8, O45, and O88. The most detected gene was <i>iss</i>, present in 79.6% of isolates, followed by <i>tsh</i>, <i>iuc</i>C, <i>sitA</i>, and <i>pap</i>C. The antibiotic resistance analysis showed that all isolates exhibited multidrug resistance, although they remained susceptible to gentamicin, amikacin, ciprofloxacin, and chloramphenicol. Moreover, specific antibiotic resistance genes were known in the isolates, with <i>tetA</i> detected in 54.8%, <i>tetB</i> in 51.7%, <i>sul1</i> in 50%, and <i>aadA1</i> in 29.2%. These findings highlight the widespread antibiotic resistance in chicken carcasses, which poses a hazard to human health in terms of transfer of resistance to humans, reduced effectiveness of antibiotics and impaired ability to contain infectious diseases. Therefore, it is crucial to implement strict monitoring programs to regulate antibiotic usage in poultry production.
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spelling doaj-art-999708172fca4395834dba455daab3e22025-08-20T03:32:32ZengMDPI AGVeterinary Sciences2306-73812025-06-0112659210.3390/vetsci12060592Serogroup Prevalence, Virulence Profile and Antibiotic Resistance of Avian Pathogenic <i>Escherichia coli</i> Isolated from Broiler ChickenShowkat A. Shah0Masood S. Mir1Shayaib A. Kamil2Majid Shafi3Mudasir A. Rather4Azmat A. Khan5Zahoor A. Wani6Sheikh Adil7Fatmah M. Alqahtani8Majid Alhomrani9Manzoor Wani10Division of Veterinary Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, SKUAST-K, Shuhama 190006, IndiaDivision of Veterinary Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, SKUAST-K, Shuhama 190006, IndiaDivision of Veterinary Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, SKUAST-K, Shuhama 190006, IndiaDivision of Veterinary Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, SKUAST-K, Shuhama 190006, IndiaDivision of Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, SKUAST-K, Shuhama 190006, IndiaDivision of Livestock Production and Management, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, SKUAST-K, Shuhama 190006, IndiaDivision of Veterinary Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, SKUAST-K, Shuhama 190006, IndiaDivision of Livestock Production and Management, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, SKUAST-K, Shuhama 190006, IndiaDepartment of Biology, College of Science, King Khalid University, Abha 61413, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, The Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, Taif 21944, Saudi ArabiaDivision of Livestock Production and Management, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, SKUAST-K, Shuhama 190006, IndiaAvian pathogenic <i>Escherichia coli</i> (APEC) causes avian colibacillosis, leading to significant economic losses and concerns for food safety in the poultry industry. This study focused on examining the virulence gene profile, antibiotic resistance prevalence, and resistance patterns of APEC isolates. A total of 250 bacterial strains were collected from birds affected by colibacillosis. Serogrouping revealed diverse serotypes, with O2 being the most common (16%), followed by O1, O8, and O76. All isolates tested positive for at minimum one virulence gene, with 7.2% carrying all five targeted genes, particularly in serogroups O1, O8, O45, and O88. The most detected gene was <i>iss</i>, present in 79.6% of isolates, followed by <i>tsh</i>, <i>iuc</i>C, <i>sitA</i>, and <i>pap</i>C. The antibiotic resistance analysis showed that all isolates exhibited multidrug resistance, although they remained susceptible to gentamicin, amikacin, ciprofloxacin, and chloramphenicol. Moreover, specific antibiotic resistance genes were known in the isolates, with <i>tetA</i> detected in 54.8%, <i>tetB</i> in 51.7%, <i>sul1</i> in 50%, and <i>aadA1</i> in 29.2%. These findings highlight the widespread antibiotic resistance in chicken carcasses, which poses a hazard to human health in terms of transfer of resistance to humans, reduced effectiveness of antibiotics and impaired ability to contain infectious diseases. Therefore, it is crucial to implement strict monitoring programs to regulate antibiotic usage in poultry production.https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/12/6/592avian pathogenic <i>Escherichia coli</i>serogroupsvirulencegenesantibiotic resistance
spellingShingle Showkat A. Shah
Masood S. Mir
Shayaib A. Kamil
Majid Shafi
Mudasir A. Rather
Azmat A. Khan
Zahoor A. Wani
Sheikh Adil
Fatmah M. Alqahtani
Majid Alhomrani
Manzoor Wani
Serogroup Prevalence, Virulence Profile and Antibiotic Resistance of Avian Pathogenic <i>Escherichia coli</i> Isolated from Broiler Chicken
Veterinary Sciences
avian pathogenic <i>Escherichia coli</i>
serogroups
virulence
genes
antibiotic resistance
title Serogroup Prevalence, Virulence Profile and Antibiotic Resistance of Avian Pathogenic <i>Escherichia coli</i> Isolated from Broiler Chicken
title_full Serogroup Prevalence, Virulence Profile and Antibiotic Resistance of Avian Pathogenic <i>Escherichia coli</i> Isolated from Broiler Chicken
title_fullStr Serogroup Prevalence, Virulence Profile and Antibiotic Resistance of Avian Pathogenic <i>Escherichia coli</i> Isolated from Broiler Chicken
title_full_unstemmed Serogroup Prevalence, Virulence Profile and Antibiotic Resistance of Avian Pathogenic <i>Escherichia coli</i> Isolated from Broiler Chicken
title_short Serogroup Prevalence, Virulence Profile and Antibiotic Resistance of Avian Pathogenic <i>Escherichia coli</i> Isolated from Broiler Chicken
title_sort serogroup prevalence virulence profile and antibiotic resistance of avian pathogenic i escherichia coli i isolated from broiler chicken
topic avian pathogenic <i>Escherichia coli</i>
serogroups
virulence
genes
antibiotic resistance
url https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/12/6/592
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