Characterization of piggery farm waste-borne bacterial transposable elements associated with antimicrobial resistance phenotypes

• Published in: Comparative immunology, microbiology and infectious diseases microbiology and infectious diseases, 2023-07, Vol.98, p.102005-102005, Article 102005
• Main Authors: Thakur, Priyanka Kumari, Deb, Rajib, Pegu, Seema Rani, Parihar, Ranjeet, Niharika, Jagana, Jyoti Das, Pranab, Sengar, Gyanendra Singh, Sonowal, Joyshikh, Chaudhary, Parul, Selvaradjou, Arutkumaran, Raj, Atul, Gupta, Vivek Kumar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Antimicrobial resistant; Chloramphenicol; Conjugation; Conjugation, Genetic; DNA Transposable Elements; Drug Resistance, Bacterial - genetics; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial - genetics; Enterobacteriaceae - genetics; Escherichia coli - genetics; Farms; Integrons - genetics; Microbial Sensitivity Tests - veterinary; Nalidixic Acid; Phenotype; Piggery farm; Plasmids - genetics; Swine; Transposable elements
• ISSN: 0147-9571; 1878-1667
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cimid.2023.102005

Even though there is a link between antibiotic resistance and the presence of transposable elements few research has looked at the prevalence and distribution of transposable elements/ integrons in piggery farm samples. Present study identified the presence of six transposable elements namely Tn6763 (Accession number: OQ565300), Tn6764, (Accession number: OQ565299), Tn6765 (Accession number: OQ409902), Tn2003 (Accession number: OQ503494), Tn6072 (Accession number: OQ565298) and Tn6020 (Accession number: OQ503493) in piggery farm waste from India which are belongs to Enterobacteriaceae family. In a conjugative experiment, Klebsiella isolates carrying Tn6020 having the resistant phenotypes for nalidixic acid was used as donor cells while Escherichia coli DH5α Cells carrying chloramphenicol resistant plasmid was employed as recipient cells. Transconjugant bacterial colonies were shown to carry the Tn6020 transposable elements with both nalidixic acid (donor cell origin) and chloramphenicol (recipient cell origin) resistant antibiotic phenotypes. Given the presence of transposable elements in 21.4% of resistant Enterobacteriaceae strains, preventative measures are vital for avoiding the spread of mobile genetic resistance determinants in the piggery sector and to monitor their emergence. •Prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant transposable elements in Indian piggery farm waste: 21.4%.•Klebsiella carrying Tn602 transferred nalidixic acid resistance to E. coli DH5alpha via transconjugation.•Study highlights the potential spread of antibiotic resistance through agricultural waste.