Studies On Molecular Characterization Of Vancomycin Resistant Enterococcus Spp In Pigs In Andhra Pradesh

Abstract

The present study was undertaken for isolation and characterization of newlineEnterococcus species from pig farms and pork retail outlets by cultural and multiplex newlinePCR assay for confirmation of genus and different species. A total of 670 samples newlinecomprising of 590 samples from ten organized pig farms and 80 from 10 pork retail newlineoutlets located in different districts of Andhra Pradesh, were collected and examined for newlineEnterococcal species. Overall prevalence of genus Enterococcus was found to be newline84.47% and the prevalence of the Enterococcus spp. in various samples ranged from newline100% each in water samples, stool samples and urine samples to 40.00% in mixed newlinetype of feed samples. Among the 497 Enterococcus isolates the presence of phenotypic newlinefactors viz., haemolysis of sheep RBC, slime layer formation, lipase activity, caseinase newlineactivity, biofilm formation, gelatinase, DNase activity and HA were detected in 271 newline (54.52%), 189 (38.02%), 34 (6.84%), 94 (18.91%), 185 (37.22%), 106 (21.32%), 27 newline(5.43%) and 60 (12.07%) isolates, respectively. Out of seven virulence markers newlineinvestigated in Enterococcus isolates, asa was predominant gene in 134 isolates newline(26.96%) followed by 132 gelE (26.55%), 100 hyl (20.12%), 81 ace (16.29%), 72 efaA newline(14.48%) and 42 cyl (8.45%) genes. Higher resistance was observed towards newlineerythromycin (80.08%) followed by amikacin (79.67%), streptomycin (48.49%), newlinetetracycline (40.04%), moxifloxacine (36.61%), oflaxacin (32.99%), ciprofloxacin newline(29.97%), furazolidone (26.35%), gentamicin (23.54%), vancomycin (20.12%), newlinepenicillin-G (19.51%), colistin (16.90%), chloramphenicol (16.29%), piperacillin newline(10.66%), linezolid (10.26%) and teicoplanin (10.26%). A total of 158 (39.87%) newlineisolates were positive for HLAR genes and aac(6´)Ie-aph(2and#733;)Ia was the only gene newlinedetected in all isolates. A total of 296 Enterococcus isolates (59.55%) were positive for newlineerythromycin resistant genes (ermB and ermC). None of the isolates were positive for newlineermA gene, 51 (10.26%) were positive for colistin resistance genes (mcr1 and mcr2), newline85 (40.86%)