Escherichia coli as Commensal and Pathogenic Bacteria Among Food-Producing Animals: Health Implications of Extended Spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) Production

• Published in: Animals (Basel) Vol. 10; no. 12; p. 2239
• Main Authors: Ramos, Sónia, Silva, Vanessa, Dapkevicius, Maria de Lurdes Enes, Caniça, Manuela, Tejedor-Junco, María Teresa, Igrejas, Gilberto, Poeta, Patrícia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 29-11-2020; MDPI
• Subjects: Adaptability; Animal species; Animals; Antibiotics; Antimicrobial agents; Antimicrobial resistance; Bacteria; Bacterial diseases; Beef cattle; Bioindicators; Changing environments; Coliforms; Commensals; Diarrhea; Drug resistance; E coli; Enteritis; Enzymes; ESBL; Escherichia coli; Food production; food-producing animals; Health surveillance; Homeotherms; Indicator species; Infections; Intestine; Meningitis; Neonates; Pathogens; Peritonitis; Plasmids; Poultry; Public health; Review; Salmonella; Septicemia; Trends; Urinary tract; Urinary tract infections; Virulence; β Lactamase; Europe; ESBL; antimicrobial resistance; food-producing animals; Escherichia coli
• ISSN: 2076-2615; 2076-2615
• DOI: 10.3390/ani10122239

are facultative, anaerobic Gram-negative rods with many facets. Within resistant bacterial populations, they play an important ecological role and can be used as a bioindicator of antimicrobial resistance. All animal species used for food production, as well as humans, carry
in their intestinal tracts; plus, the genetic flexibility and adaptability of this bacteria to constantly changing environments allows it to acquire a great number of antimicrobial resistance mechanisms. Thus, the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in these commensal bacteria (or others, such as enterococci) can be a good indicator for the selective pressure caused by the use of antimicrobial agents, providing an early warning of the emergence of antimicrobial resistance in pathogens. As many as 90% of
strains are commensals inhabiting the intestinal tracts of humans and warm-blooded animals. As a commensal, it lives in a mutually beneficial association with its hosts and rarely causes diseases. However,
also remains as one of the most frequent causes of several common bacterial infections in humans and animals. In humans, it is the prominent cause of enteritis, community- and hospital-acquired urinary tract infection (UTI), septicemia, postsurgical peritonitis, and other clinical infections, such as neonatal meningitis, while, in farm animals, it is more prominently associated with diarrhea. On a global scale,
can be considered the most important human pathogen, causing severe infection along with other major bacterial foodborne agents, such as
spp. and
. Thus, the importance of resistance in
, typically considered a benign commensal, should not be underestimated.