The emergence of mcr-1-mediated colistin-resistant Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae in domestic and imported turkey meat in the Czech Republic 2017–2018

• Published in: Folia microbiologica 2020-02, Vol.65 (1), p.211-216
• Main Authors: Gelbicova, Tereza, Kolackova, Ivana, Krutova, Marcela, Karpiskova, Renata
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied Microbiology; Bacteria; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Colistin; E coli; Endonuclease; Enterobacteriaceae; Environmental Engineering/Biotechnology; Escherichia coli; Immunology; Klebsiella; Klebsiella pneumoniae; Life Sciences; Meat; Microbiology; Minimum inhibitory concentration; Peptones; Short Communication
• ISSN: 0015-5632; 1874-9356
• DOI: 10.1007/s12223-019-00709-z

We investigated the occurrence of plasmid-mediated colistin resistance in Enterobacteriaceae in turkey meat produced in the Czech Republic as well as in turkey meat imported into the Czech Republic from other European Union countries. Seventeen samples of raw turkey meat from the Czech Republic ( n  = 4), Hungary ( n  = 2), Poland ( n  = 6) and Germany ( n  = 5) were cultured in peptone water at 37 °C overnight and the enriched cultures were tested for the presence of mcr-1-5 genes. PCR-positive enriched cultures were inoculated onto selective agar with colistin (3.5 mg/L). A minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of colistin was determined by using the broth microdilution method in PCR-positive isolates. In addition, a macrorestriction analysis was performed using Xba I endonuclease. Of 17 meat samples, 12 samples from Poland (6/6), Germany (3/5) and the Czech Republic (3/4) proved positive for the presence of the mcr-1 gene. Forty-two isolates carrying the mcr-1 gene were obtained: Escherichia coli ( n  = 39) revealing 32 distinct Xba I profiles and Klebsiella pneumoniae ( n  = 3) with 2 distinct Xba I profiles. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the mcr-1 positive isolates was as follows: 4 mg/L ( n  = 28), 8 mg/L ( n  = 12), 32 mg/L ( n  = 1) and 64 mg/L ( n  = 1). The high prevalence (70.6%; 12/17 samples) of mcr-1- mediated colistin-resistant Enterobacteriaceae found in the turkey meat samples analysed in this study, builds on previously published evidence that poultry, and their products, represent a substantial risk for the dissemination of plasmid-mediated colistin resistance in Europe.