Archives

A set of 41 Arcobacter isolates (A. butzleri, 16; A. cryaerophilus, 13; A. skirrowii, 12) isolated from diverse sources like faecal swabs of livestock (21), raw foods of animal origin (13) and human stool samples (7) were screened for beta-lactam resistance by disc diffusion method and PCR targeting blaTEM, blaSHV, blaOXA, blaAmpC, blaCTX-M group-1 and 2 beta-lactamase genes. Resistance to aztreonam (65.8%), cefotaxime (63.4%), ceftazidime (58.5%) and ceftriaxone (53.6%) was detected, with an overall frequency of 80.4% (33/41) beta-lactam resistance. Extended Spectrum Beta-lactamase (ESBL) phenotype was confirmed in a total of 15 (36.5%) Arcobacter isolates. Beta-lactamase genes were detected in 63.4% of Arcobacter isolates, with blaTEM being the predominant gene detected (51.2%, 21/41) followed by blaCTX-M group-1 (36.5%, 15/41), blaAmpC (29.2%, 12/41), blaOXA (29.2%, 12/41), blaSHV (14.6%, 6/41) and blaCTX-M group-2 (14.6%, 6/41) genes. CTX-M beta-lactamase was found to be the most frequent mechanism of ESBL resistance in Arcobacter isolates. The results highlighted the beta-lactam resistance in Arcobacter species, with special emphasis on ESBL phenotype, which is of grave concern to animal and human health in this region.
Key words: Arcobacter, beta-lactam resistance, beta-lactamase genes, ESBL.