Investigating the resistance to glycopeptide and aminoglycoside antibiotics in Enterococcus species isolated from the feces of domestic animals around Rasht City

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVESEnterococcus, the natural intestinal flora of humans and many animals, is the second cause of infection in hospitals and the third most common cause of hospital bacteremia. Resistant enterococci are found almost everywhere; they can be transferred to healthy people in society and spread in the non-human community. Animals, as the large reservoir of resistance genes, may transfer these genes to saprophytic bacteria or even dangerous pathogens. The present study aimed to identify and determine the resistance to glycopeptide and aminoglycoside antibiotics in enterococci isolated from the feces of domestic animals around Rasht city.MATERIALS AND METHODSEnterococcus isolates were segregated from ۸۰ horse and cattle feces samples around Rasht city, and the culture and biochemical tests were used to identify them. The antibiotic resistance pattern was investigated by the disk diffusion method, the minimum inhibitory concentration of bacteria (MIC) using the macrodilution broth method, and the frequency of resistance genes by PCR method in the isolates.RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONOut of ۳۰ cattle and ۵۰ horse isolates, the highest resistance in both groups to ampicillin was ۱۰۰% and ۹۶%, respectively. Tetracycline and enrofloxacin were the most effective antibiotic in horse and cattle isolates, respectively. In ۴ horse and ۲ cattle isolates with vancomycin MIC>۳۲ μg/ml, none of the vanA or vanB genes were detected, also in ۳۸ horse and ۱۹ cattle isolates resistant to the aminoglycoside gentamicin and amikacin, the frequency of aac(۶')-aph( ۲") and aph(۳')-llla were ۵۵/۲۶%, ۷۳/۶۸%, ۷۶/۳۱%, and ۶۳/۱۶%, respectively.CONCLUSIONThe results indicate the resistance of enterococcal animal isolates to the studied antibiotics, the presence of high-level resistance to aminoglycosides, and the presence of aminoglycoside resistance genes in these isolates. The spread of these strains in the environment can threaten livestock owners and public health.

کلیدواژه ها:

Enterococcus ، Domestic Animals ، Antibiotic Resistance ، Resistance Gene