Abstract
Background. The food supply is suspected to be a source of fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichia coli that cause disease in humans, but supporting molecular data are lacking. Methods. We performed a molecular-epidemiological comparison, in Barcelona, Spain (1996-1998), of 117 contemporaneous, geographically matched E. coli isolates from humans (35 blood isolates and 33 fecal) or chickens (49 fecal) that were either susceptible (n = 57) or resistant (n = 60) to ciprofloxacin and analyzed them by phylogenetic group, virulence genotype, and O antigens using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Results. When analyzed by phylogenetic distribution, virulence profiles, and O antigens, resistant human isolates were distinct from susceptible human isolates but were largely indistinguishable from chicken isolates, whereas resistant and susceptible chicken isolates were similar. Susceptible human isolates contained more virulence-associated genes and more frequently expressed virulence-associated O antigens than did resistant human or any chicken isolates. Certain resistant human isolates closely resembled chicken isolates by RAPD and PFGE analysis. Conclusions. Ciprofloxacin-resistant E. coli may arise de novo in poultry from susceptible progenitors, be transmitted to humans via the food supply, and go on to cause potentially life-threatening infections. If confirmed, these findings would mandate efforts to eliminate this reservoir of drug-resistant pathogens and/or to block their transmission to humans.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 71-78 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Journal of Infectious Diseases |
Volume | 194 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 1 2006 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Financial support: Office of Research and Development, Medical Research Service, Department of Veterans Affairs; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (grant R01-CI000204); National Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program/ United States Department of Agriculture (grant 00-35212-9408) (all to J.R.J.).