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Fecal cultivable aerobic microbiota of dairy cows and calves acting as reservoir of clinically relevant antimicrobial resistance genes

  • Veterinary Microbiology - Research Paper
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Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance has become a global threat to public health since multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria have been reported worldwide carrying different antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), and animals have been described as a reservoir of ARGs. The presence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and ARGs in the food matrix is a risk to public health. This study aimed to research the presence of clinically relevant ARGs for important antimicrobials and genetic elements in fecal samples from dairy cows and calves on a Brazilian farm. In this study, a total of 21 fecal samples were collected, and then, the DNA of cultivable aerobic bacteria was extracted. Fifty-seven ARGs and twenty-three genetic elements were researched by PCR and confirmed by sequencing. Several ARGs that confer resistance to β-lactams, tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones, sulphonamides, phenicols, aminoglycoside, glycopeptides, and macrolides were detected. A total of 200 amplicons from 23 ARGs (blaCTX-M-Gp2, blaCMY, blaSHV, tetA, tetB, tetC, qepA, qnrB, qnrS, oqxA, oqxB, vanC1, vanC2/3, aadA, sul1, sul2, sul3, ermB, mefAE, floR, cmlA, aadA, aph(3′)-Ia, aac(3′)-Ia), and 145 amplicons from 12 genetic elements (IncF, IncFIA, IncFIB, IncI1, IncY, IncU, IncK, IncP, IncR, IncHI1, ColE-like, intI1) were detected. The results presented in this study call attention to the monitoring of antimicrobial resistance in dairy farms worldwide. MDR bacteria and ARGs can spread to different sources, including milk products, which are one of the most consumed products worldwide, representing a potential risk to human health.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) (grant number 2018/01890-3) and the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) (grant numbers 88882.180855/2018-01, 88887.314388/2019-00 and Finance Code 001) for fellowships.

Funding

This study was supported by Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) (grant number 2018/19539-0).

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Author notes

  1. Eliana Guedes Stehling

    Present address: , Ribeirão Preto, Brazil

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Toxicológicas e Bromatológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, Brazil

    João Pedro Rueda Furlan, Lucas David Rodrigues dos Santos, Micaela Santana Ramos, Inara Fernanda Lage Gallo & Eliana Guedes Stehling

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  1. João Pedro Rueda Furlan
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Correspondence to Eliana Guedes Stehling.

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Furlan, J.P.R., dos Santos, L.D.R., Ramos, M.S. et al. Fecal cultivable aerobic microbiota of dairy cows and calves acting as reservoir of clinically relevant antimicrobial resistance genes. Braz J Microbiol 51, 1377–1382 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42770-020-00265-6

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