Control de resistencia bacteriana a los antimicrobianos en pequeños animales en Chile: Esfuerzos integrados bajo el concepto «Una Salud»

Actualmente, la medicina veterinaria se enfrenta a un escenario cada vez más preocupante, generado por la aparición y diseminación de bacterias resistentes a los antimicrobianos que amenazan la salud humana y animal a nivel mundial. Si bien la Organización Mundial de Sanidad Animal (OIE) promueve el uso responsable y prudente de los antimicrobianos, con el fin de prevenir y reducir la selección, emergencia y propagación de bacterias resistentes en los animales y en el ser humano, sus principales líneas de acción en el control y uso prudente de los antimicrobianos han sido focalizadas en los animales de producción.Trabajo publicado en Cagliada, Maria del Pilar Lilia y Galosi, Cecilia Mónica (comps.). I Congreso de Microbiología Veterinaria. Libro de resúmenes. La Plata: Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, 2021.Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

Phenotypic and genotypic antimicrobial resistance in Escherichia coli strains isolated from household dogs in Chile

IntroductionAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major threat to animal and public health worldwide; consequently, several AMR surveillances programs have been implemented internationally in both human and veterinary medicine, including indicator bacteria such as Escherichia coli. However, companion animals are not typically included in these surveillance programs. Nevertheless, there have been reports of increasing levels of antimicrobial resistance in E. coli strains isolated from dogs worldwide. In Chile, there is limited information available on AMR in E. coli isolated from companion animals, which prevents the establishment of objective prevention and control measures.MethodsFor this reason, the aim of this study was to characterize the phenotypic and genotypic AMR of E. coli strains isolated from healthy household dogs in Chile. For this purpose, a multi-stage sampling was carried out in the Metropolitan Region of Chile, obtaining samples from 600 healthy dogs. These samples were processed using traditional bacteriology and molecular techniques to isolate E. coli strains. We assessed the minimal inhibitory concentration of 17 antimicrobials and conducted a search of six antimicrobial resistance genes, as well as class 1 and 2 integrons, in the isolated strains.ResultsTwo-hundred and twenty-four strains of E. coli were recovered, and 96.9% (n = 217) showed resistance to at least one drug and only 3.1% (n = 7) were susceptible to all analyzed antimicrobials. Most strains were resistant to cefalexin (91.5%, n = 205, 1st-generation cephalosporin), followed by ampicillin (68.3%, n = 153) and cefpodoxime (31.3%, n = 70, 3rd-generation cephalosporin). Moreover, 24.1% (n = 54) tested positive for extended-spectrum-β-lactamases and 34.4% (n = 77) were multidrug resistant. As for the AMR genes, the most detected was qnrB (28.1%, n = 63), followed by blaCTX-M (22.3%, n = 50), and blaTEM-1 (19.6%, n = 44). Additionally, 16.1% (n = 36) harbored class 1 integrons. Our study shows that E. coli strains isolated from healthy household dogs exhibit resistance to several relevant drugs and also antimicrobial resistance genes considered critical for human health. These results can be used as a starting point for the prevention and control of antimicrobial resistance from companion animals. This background should be considered when formulating future resistance surveillance programs or control plans in which companion animals must be included

Antimicrobial Use in Companion Animals: Assessing Veterinarians’ Prescription Patterns through the First National Survey in Chile

Although the relationship between the use of antimicrobials and the development of resistant bacteria is well established, information about the use of antimicrobials in companion animals has been poorly described, which represents a risk to public health. The aim of this study was to describe the antimicrobial prescription patterns of Chilean companion animal veterinarians. A nationally distributed survey targeted at companion animal veterinarians was designed. The survey included questions about the veterinarian’s demographics, bacterial diseases treated, prescribed antimicrobials, and the use of laboratory diagnostic tools. Three hundred twenty-three responses were collected, most of the respondents were female (59.4%). The most frequently reported bacterial diseases were pyoderma (17.2%), followed by otitis and abscesses (7.4%). The antimicrobials most used corresponded with critically or highly important drugs for veterinary and human use, including β-lactams (65.3%), quinolones (36.2%) and tetracyclines (23.2%). Only 15% of the veterinarians reported the use of laboratory diagnostic tests, although 67% declared they were aware of the official antimicrobial classification schemes. Our results describe for the first time the usage of antimicrobials by veterinarian practitioners in Chile to treat different diseases in companion animals. The data presented here provide a baseline that could help to promote the implementation of clinical guidelines and regulations in order to improve current treatments

Antimicrobial Use in Companion Animals: Assessing Veterinarians’ Prescription Patterns through the First National Survey in Chile

Although the relationship between the use of antimicrobials and the development of resistant bacteria is well established, information about the use of antimicrobials in companion animals has been poorly described, which represents a risk to public health. The aim of this study was to describe the antimicrobial prescription patterns of Chilean companion animal veterinarians. A nationally distributed survey targeted at companion animal veterinarians was designed. The survey included questions about the veterinarian’s demographics, bacterial diseases treated, prescribed antimicrobials, and the use of laboratory diagnostic tools. Three hundred twenty-three responses were collected, most of the respondents were female (59.4%). The most frequently reported bacterial diseases were pyoderma (17.2%), followed by otitis and abscesses (7.4%). The antimicrobials most used corresponded with critically or highly important drugs for veterinary and human use, including β-lactams (65.3%), quinolones (36.2%) and tetracyclines (23.2%). Only 15% of the veterinarians reported the use of laboratory diagnostic tests, although 67% declared they were aware of the official antimicrobial classification schemes. Our results describe for the first time the usage of antimicrobials by veterinarian practitioners in Chile to treat different diseases in companion animals. The data presented here provide a baseline that could help to promote the implementation of clinical guidelines and regulations in order to improve current treatments

Virulence Genes, Shiga Toxin Subtypes, Serogroups, and Clonal Relationship of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia Coli Strains Isolated from Livestock and Companion Animals

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is a zoonotic pathogen that causes severe illness in humans and is an important cause of foodborne disease. In Chile, there is limited information on the virulence characteristics of this pathogen in livestock, and none in companion animals. The aim of this study was to characterize STEC strains isolated from cattle, swine, dogs, and cats, in Chile, in terms of the presence of Shiga toxin types and subtypes, virulence genes, serogroups, and clonality. One-thousand two-hundred samples were collected, isolating 54 strains (4.5%), where stx1a (68.5%) and ehxA (74.1%) were the most frequently detected virulence genes. Only one strain belonging to the most clinically relevant serogroups was identified. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis analysis showed high clonal diversity among strains isolated from cattle, while those from swine showed the same pattern. This study provides further evidence regarding cattle and swine in Chile as a potential source of a wide variety of STEC strains that could potentially cause severe illness in humans, and that companion animals do not seem to represent a relevant reservoir. It also argues that preventive and control strategies should not be focused on detecting serogroups, but instead, on detecting their determinants of virulence

Detection of the mecA gene in coagulase positive Staphylococcus isolated from cats Detección del gen mecA en cepas de Staphylococcus coagulasa positiva aisladas desde gatos

© 2016, Sociedad Chilena de Infectologia. All rights reserved.Introduction: Bacterial resistance is a global concern for public health. Reports of antimicrobial resistance, including that against methicillin, have increased in strains of coagulase positive Staphylococcus (CPS) isolated from pets, however in Chile this information is limited. Objectives: To determine the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles and to detect the mecA gene in CPS strains isolated from cats in Chile. Materials and Methods: 134 samples were obtained from healthy cats and cats with skin lesions. These strains were characterized in their coagulase production and identified by BBL Crystal kit. The antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by Kirby Bauer method against 12 antimicrobials, including oxacillin. All strains were subjected to PCR to detect the mecA gene. Results: 72 CPS strains were isolated, including S. aureus and S. intermedius. Antimicrobial resistance against at least one drug was detected in

Estimates of Effective Population Size in Commercial and Hatchery Strains of Coho Salmon (<i>Oncorhynchus kisutch</i> (<i>Walbaum</i>, 1792))

Understanding the genetic status of aquaculture strains is essential for developing management guidelines aimed at sustaining the rates of genetic gain for economically important traits, as well as securing populations that will be robust to climate change. Coho salmon was the first salmonid introduced to Chile for commercial purposes and now comprises an essential component of the country’s aquaculture industry. Several events, such as admixture, genetic bottlenecks, and rapid domestication, appear to be determinants in shaping the genome of commercial strains representing this species. To determine the impact of such events on the genetic diversity of these strains, we sought to estimate the effective population size (Ne) of several of these strains using genome-wide approaches. We compared these estimates to commercial strains from North America and Japan, as well as a hatchery strain used for supportive breeding of wild populations. The estimates of Ne were based on a method robust to assumptions about changes in population history, and ranged from low (Ne = 34) to relatively high (Ne = 80) in the Chilean strains. These estimates were higher than those obtained from the commercial North American strain but lower than those observed in the hatchery population and the Japanese strain (with Ne over 150). Our results suggest that some populations require measures to control the rates of inbreeding, possibly by using genomic information and incorporating new genetic material to ensure the long-term sustainability of these populations