Occurrence Of Ndm-5 And Antibiotic Resistance Genes Among Escherichia Coli And Klebsiella Pneumoniae In Companion Animals In Thailand

Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae are infectious agents of concern in causing a variety of diseases, including diarrhea, respiratory diseases and septicemia, leading to morbidity and mortality in both humans and companion animals. Molecular characteristics of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)and carbapenemase-producing E. coli and K. pneumoniae in companion animals were investigated in 30 E. coli and 14 K. pneumoniae isolates from companion animals at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand during August 2016 to January 2018. ESBL-producing E. coli harbored bla(TEM) ( n = 2) and bla(CTX-M) (n = 4), while ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae harbored bla(TEM) + bla(SHV) + bla(CTX- M) ( n = 12). Carbapenemase-producing E. coli (n = 3) and K. pneumoniae (n = 8) carried bla(NDM-5) gene and AmpC-producing E. coli (n = 6) carried bla(AmpC). Plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance gene, qnrS, was predominantly detected in 7 E. coli strains, while that carrying aac(6')-lb-cr in 10 K. pneumoniae isolates. Phylogeny analysis demonstrated E. coli strains distributed into pathogenic groups B2 (27%) and D (20%), and commensal groups A (30%) and B1 (23%), while all K. pneumoniae strains belonged to KpI group. ERIC-PCR indicated high diversity of E. coli strains, while 11 K. pneumoniae originated from the same clone. Multilocus sequence typing of NDM-5-producing strains revealed in E. coli were ST224 (n = 1) and ST410 (n = 2) and in all K. pneumoniae ST147. In conclusion, as E. coli ST410 and K. pneumoniae ST147 are considered high-risk strains, companion animals might play a significant role in the dissemination of antibiotic resistance bacteria.