Antimicrobial Drug Resistance of Escherichia coli Isolated from Piglets in North East India

Aim: The research is aimed to study the antimicrobial drug resistance (AMR) of Escherichia coli from fecal samples of pre-weaned piglets in North Eastern states (NE) of India.

Materials and Methods: A total of 457 fresh fecal samples were collected from pre-weaned piglets of organized (n=225) and unorganized (n=232) farms of 4 North Eastern states of India, namely, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland state. Samples were collected from diarrheic (n=339) and non-diarrheic (n=118) piglets in different seasons during the study period. The samples were processed for isolation of E. coli and detection of their putative virulence genes by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Results: A total of 1286 E. coli were isolated. Forty-two isolates (3.26%) were found to be atypical enteropathogenic E. coli (aEPEC) and thirty isolates (2.33%) belongs to shigatoxigenic E. coli (STEC) in which 28 isolates were positive for stx2 gene and two isolates possessed hlyA gene. All the 1286 isolates showed wide variation (0.15-78.69%) in resistance pattern against the 15 antimicrobial agents; of which there is higher resistance against cefalexin (78.69%), amoxycillin (77.13%), ampicillin (72.31%) and enrofloxacin (60.73%). The isolates showed low resistance to imipenem (0.15%), ceftriaxone (8.32%), ciprofloxacin (8.39%) and streptomycin (8.94%). Higher prevalence of AMR to numerous antimicrobials in this study was observed in isolates of organized farm compared to unorganized farming system.

Conclusion: The present study exhibited variation in AMR in different NE states of India as well as in different farming system which indicate that drug consumption and resistance are closely related.