With its outstanding reproductive potential, nutrient benefits, and generally low retail prices, chicken meat is the top choice for consumers globally. Their production and consumption are rapidly growing in almost all developing and developed countries. People enjoy chicken products, which are a better option because they can be quickly prepared and paired with various dishes and have fewer calories and saturated fats than red meat, which is simpler to digest (Kalakuntla et al., 2017). In contrast to other meat types, it is a more affordable option and a rich source of vitamins.
Numerous pathogenic microorganisms pose severe threats to people, with E. coli being a frequent cause of many human diseases. The mortality and morbidity rates can be lowered by using antibiotics. Sadly, these bacteria seem to become resistant to different first-line antibiotics, rendering them useless. Among mechanisms causing antibiotic resistance is the production of various enzymes, most significantly -lactamases, which break down the -lactam ring of -lactam antibiotics. Numerous laws have been put in place in developed nations to reduce the risk of antibiotic resistance, but in developing countries, the issue is rapidly worsening, leading to serious health issues.
In the article under review, Pakistani researchers isolated and characterized an Escherichia coli strain that produces an extended-spectrum beta-lactamase from chicken meat. The goal of the current study was to identify the frequency of Escherichia coli in poultry meat, the sequence of antimicrobial resistance it exhibited, and its molecular mechanism. The study hypothesis is E. coli pathogen in chicken causes food-borne illnesses. Five hundred chicken samples were analyzed for microbial assessment. Three test tubes with 9mL of peptone water each were filled with a sample (Aklilu et al., 2021). The first test tube received a 1mL addition of chicken sample. After adding 1mL from the first tube’s peptone water, 1mL each from the second and third test tubes were added.
The inoculum was transferred from the third test tube using an applicator onto sterile Petri plates enclosing MacConkey agar. After adding the media (EMB agar) to 1000 mL of distilled water, the mixture was simmered for 60 seconds to solubilize the components before being autoclaved for fifteen minutes at 121 °C. For a sterility check, the media was added to Petri plates that had undergone autoclaving and were then cultured for 24 hours at 37 °C. The specimens were smeared on sterile Eosin Methylene Blue agar plates and left to sit for 24 hours at 37 degrees (Aklilu et al., 2021). On EMB agar, E. coli colonies were identified as having a metallic sheen.
Gram staining was used to determine the type of E. coli isolates, which were Gram-Negative Rods. An Analytical Profile Index kit was used to perform biochemical recognition of E. coli isolates. Vivantis Genome Extraction Kit was used to extract DNA to identify E. coli isolates at the molecular level and find genes associated with antibiotic resistance. The isolated strains of E. coli were injected into the nutrient broth and given a 24-hour incubation period at 37°C. The broth cultures were standardized using the 0.5 McFarland solution to ascertain the bacterial isolates’ antibiotic susceptibility patterns. 0.1mL of bacterial suspension was applied to a sterile MHA plate, which was then given 10 minutes to dry. The antibiotic discs were evenly spaced on the agar media and incubated for 24 hours at 37°C (Aklilu et al., 2021). Each antimicrobials disc’s area of inhibition was measured after incubation.
The results were classified as sensitive, resistant, and intermediate. MICs test strips were used to determine the chosen antibiotics’ minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs). According to the report, the synergy test was used to determine the phenotype of ESBL-producing E. coli isolates, while the Modified Hodge test was used to determine the phenotype of carbapenemase production (Sacramento et al., 2018). PCR using specific primers and optimal conditions was used to recognize the presence of antibiotic resistance in E. coli isolates. After purification, the amplified PCR products of the antibiotic-resistant genes were sequenced at the Rehman Medical Institute in Pakistan. The data was further examined for non-synonymous mutations, and I-mutant software projected the infective influences of the discovered mutations.
Using SPSS version 20, a chi-square analysis was conducted to ascertain the association between the projected E. coli value and the demonstrated (p 0.05). The study’s findings indicated the chicken test results were tainted with E. coli, as 412 (82%) of the 500 samples demonstrated E. coli growth supporting the research hypothesis (Liang et al., 2018). Findings indicate that ESBL-producing E. coli is significantly common in chickens, which raises the possibility that poultry farms and the meat they produce are a significant source of ESBL-producing E. coli. E. coli demonstrated complete resistance to NA, TE, and NOR, but resistance to MEM, CRO, CTX, FOS, CAZ, FEP, TZP, SCF, and AK was inconsistent. The study’s findings on resistance are primarily attributable to the B-lactamase enzymes produced (Liang et al., 2018). Universal Stress Protein, Gram staining, and API strips were the key techniques to identify the E. coli isolates.
This information will help doctors effectively manage and cure Escherichia coli-related food-borne illnesses. Scientists have been aware of the risks associated with zoonotic diseases and the development of high antibiotic drug usage in animals used for food production for decades. According to research, most retail chicken meat samples contain bacterial species typically found in the normal flora of human intestines that are transmittable drug resistance genes. This discovery may significantly impact future therapies for various infections caused by gram-negative bacteria. The article was chosen for review because it is exciting and informative. The article informs the public that drug-resistant E. coli are found in various poultry organs and are easily transmitted to people through the food chain or direct contact.
References
Aklilu, E., Harun, A., Singh, K. K. B., Ibrahim, S., & Kamaruzzaman, N. F. (2021). Phylogenetically diverse escherichia coli strains from chicken coharbor multiple carbapenemase-encoding genes (blaNDM-blaOXA-blaIMP). BioMed Research International, 2021. Web.
Kalakuntla, S., Nagireddy, N. K., Panda, A. K., Jatoth, N., Thirunahari, R., & Vangoor, R. R. (2017). Effect of dietary incorporation of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids rich oil sources on fatty acid profile, keeping quality and sensory attributes of broiler chicken meat. Animal Nutrition, 3(4), 386-391. Web.
Liang, W. J., Liu, H. Y., Duan, G. C., Zhao, Y. X., Chen, S. Y., Yang, H. Y., & Xi, Y. L. (2018). Emergence and mechanism of carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli in Henan, China, 2014. Journal of Infection and Public Health, 11(3), 347-351. Web.
Sacramento, A. G., Fernandes, M. R., Sellera, F. P., Muñoz, M. E., Vivas, R., Dolabella, S. S., & Lincopan, N. (2018). Genomic analysis of MCR-1 and CTX-M-8 co-producing Escherichia coli ST58 isolated from a polluted mangrove ecosystem in Brazil. Journal of Global Antimicrobial Resistance, 15, 288-289. Web.