SOUSA, D. L. C.; http://lattes.cnpq.br/8273166441421559; SOUSA, Débora Luíse Canuto de.
Abstract:
Free-range chicken raisin is a widespread activity in the Northeast of Brazil,
especially on family farms. However, the absence of an official program in Brazil
to monitor the sanitary quality of free-range chicken products, specifically eggs,
raises public health concerns since bacterial agents can be transmitted through
the consumption of eggs as well as such agents may be carriers of antimicrobial
resistance genes. Thus, the objectives of this work were to isolate and identify
microorganisms from free-range chicken eggs from free markets in the Brazilian
semiarid region, and to characterize the profile and identify antimicrobial
resistance genes of the isolates. A total of 128 eggs from free-range chickens
sold in the Brazilian semi-arid region from August 2018 to April 2019 were used,
of which 40 (31.3%) showed bacterial growth, with 18 bacteria (45%) being Grampositive
and 22 (55%) ) Gram-negative. The isolated microorganisms were
Staphylococcus spp. (27.5%), Bacillus spp. (15%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa
(7.5%), Klebsiella spp. (7.5%), Salmonella spp. (7.5%), Proteus mirabilis (7.5%),
Citrobacter spp. (7.5%), Escherichia coli (7.5%), Providencia spp. (5%),
Corynebacterium spp. (2.5%), Enterobacter spp. (2.5%) and Alcaligens spp.
(2.5%). There was bacterial growth in 10 (7.8%) albums and 38 (29.7%) egg yolks
(P <0.001). The antimicrobials that showed the highest resistance rates were
amoxicillin + ac. clavulanic (77.3%), ampicillin (95.5%), cephalexin (68.2%),
cephalothin (72.7%), nalidixic acid (72.7%), ertapinem (59.1%) and imipinem
(63.3%). Of the 22 Gram-negative bacteria isolates 12 were positive in the
phenotypic test for extended spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL), and CTX-M genes
were detected in four isolates, with the blaCTX-M2-like group identified in one isolate
(Klebsiella spp.) and blaCTX-M8-like in three (Klebsiella spp., Salmonella spp. and
Citrobacter spp.). We conclude that the emergence and spread of CTX-Mproducing
bacteria in free-range chicken eggs warns of the possible diffusion of
resistance genes at the human - animal - environmental interface.