On-farm starling populations and other environmental and management factors associated with the presence of cefotaxime and ciprofloxacin resistant E. coli among dairy cattle in Ohio

Factors associated with Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli during downtime in commercial broiler chicken barns in Ontario

Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli are bacteria of concern to veterinary public health and poultry health. Our research aimed to determine the factors associated with S. enterica and E. coli in commercial broiler chicken barns during the rest period between flocks to identify the best methods of sanitation for bacterial load reduction. This involved collecting samples from September 2015 to July 2016 from the floors of 36 barns before sanitation (baseline) and at 2 time intervals after sanitation, followed by microbiological and molecular analysis. A priori variables of interest included sanitation procedure (dry cleaning, wet cleaning, disinfection), sampling point (baseline, 2 d after sanitation, 6 d after sanitation), and flooring type (concrete, wood). The odds of detecting S. enterica were higher on wooden floors that were wet-cleaned than on concrete floors that were dry-cleaned, lower in the winter and spring than in the fall, and lower when samples were collected 2 d and 6 d after sanitation than at baseline. For E. coli, the concentration was higher on wooden floors than on concrete floors and in the summer than in the fall, and it was lower in postsanitation samples from disinfected barns than in presanitation samples from dry-cleaned barns and in the winter than in the fall. Among E. coli isolates, factors associated with the presence of qacEΔ1, a gene associated with resistance to quaternary ammonium compounds, included sanitation procedure, flooring type, cycle length, and the number of times per yr the barn is disinfected. Our findings highlight the importance of cleaning after litter removal, although the sanitation procedure chosen might differ depending on which pathogen is present and causing disease issues; dry cleaning appears to be preferable for S. enterica control, especially in barns with wooden floors, whereas disinfection appears to be preferable for E. coli reduction.

European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) as Vectors and Reservoirs of Pathogens Affecting Humans and Domestic Livestock

European starlings are an abundant, widespread avian species frequently found in close association with human development and agriculture. The ability of starlings to carry and disperse pathogens of humans and domesticated livestock has received considerable attention, including studies of enteric bacteria, viruses, and some fungi. To investigate the importance of European starlings as disease vectors, I reviewed and assessed the available literature, comprising several hundred published papers. Although a wide variety of potential pathogens have been reported in starlings, the strongest evidence suggests that they may be responsible for harboring and dispersing some species of enteric bacteria, with Escherichia coli and Campylobacter jejuni of perhaps greatest interest, and primarily in the context of dairies, concentrated animal feeding operations, and other intensive livestock agriculture.

The Role of European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) in the Dissemination of Multidrug-Resistant Escherichia coli among Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations

Antimicrobial use in livestock production is a driver for the development and proliferation of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Wildlife interactions with livestock, acquiring associated AMR bacteria and genes, and wildlife's subsequent dispersal across the landscape are hypothesized to play an important role in the ecology of AMR. Here, we examined priority AMR phenotypes and genotypes of Escherichia coli isolated from the gastrointestinal tracts of European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) found on concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). European starlings may be present in high numbers on CAFOs (>100,000 birds), interact with urban environments, and can migrate distances exceeding 1,500 km in North America. In this study, 1,477 European starlings from 31 feedlots in five U.S. states were sampled for E. coli resistant to third generation cephalosporins (3G-C) and fluoroquinolones. The prevalence of 3G-C and fluoroquinolone-resistant E. coli was 4% and 10%, respectively. Multidrug resistance in the E. coli isolates collected (n = 236) was common, with the majority of isolates displaying resistance to six or more classes of antibiotics. Genetic analyses of a subset of these isolates identified 94 genes putatively contributing to AMR, including seven class A and C β-lactamases as well as mutations in gyrA and parC recognized to confer resistance to quinolones. Phylogenetic and subtyping assessments showed that highly similar isolates (≥99.4% shared core genome, ≥99.6% shared coding sequence) with priority AMR were found in birds on feedlots separated by distances exceeding 150 km, suggesting that European starlings could be involved in the interstate dissemination of priority AMR bacteria.

Molecular Epidemiology of Dairy Cattle-Associated Escherichia coli Carrying blaCTX-M Genes in Washington State

An increase in the prevalence of commensal Escherichia coli carrying bla_CTX-M genes among dairy cattle was observed between 2008 and 2012 in Washington State. To study the molecular epidemiology of this change, we selected 126 bla_CTX-M-positive and 126 bla_CTX-M-negative isolates for determinations of the multilocus sequence types (MLSTs) and antibiotic resistance phenotypes from E. coli obtained during a previous study. For 99 isolates, we also determined the bla_CTX-M alleles using PCR and sequencing and identified the replicon types of bla_CTX-M-carrying plasmids. The bla_CTX-M-negative E. coli isolates comprised 76 sequence types (STs) compared with 32 STs in bla_CTX-M-positive E. coli isolates. The bla_CTX-M-positive E. coli isolates formed three MLST clonal complexes, accounting for 83% of these isolates; 52% of bla_CTX-M-negative E. coli isolates clustered into 10 clonal complexes, and the remainder were singletons. Overall, bla_CTX-M-negative E. coli isolates had more diverse genotypes that were distinct to farms, whereas bla_CTX-M-positive E. coli isolates had a clonal population structure and were widely disseminated on farms in both regions included in the study. Plasmid replicon types included IncI1 which predominated, followed by IncFIB and IncFIA/FIB. bla_CTX-M-15 was the predominant CTX-M gene allele, followed by bla_CTX-M-27 and bla_CTX-M-14 There was no significant association between plasmid replicon types and bacterial STs, and neither clonal complexes nor major plasmid groups were associated with two discrete dairy-farming regions of Washington State.IMPORTANCE Infections caused by extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli occur globally and present treatment challenges because of their resistance to multiple antimicrobial drugs. Cattle are potential reservoirs of ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae, and so understanding the causes of successful dissemination of bla_CTX-M genes in commensal bacteria will inform future approaches for the prevention of antibiotic-resistant pathogen emergence.