Isolation and characterization of ESKAPE-bacteria and ESBL-producing E. coli from waste- and process water of German poultry slaughterhouses.

In conclusion, wastewater effluents from the investigated poultry slaughterhouses exhibited clinically relevant bacteria (E. coli, MRSA, K. pneumoniae, species of the ACB-and E. cloacae-complexes) that contribute to the dissemination of clinically relevant resistances (i.e. bla CTX-M/SHV, mcr-1) in the environment.Importance Bacteria from livestock may be opportunistic pathogens and carriers of clinically relevant resistance genes, as many antimicrobials are used both in veterinary and human medicine. They may be released into the environment from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) that are influenced by wastewater from slaughterhouses, thereby endangering public health. Moreover, process water that accumulates during slaughtering of poultry is an important reservoir for livestock-associated multidrug-resistant bacteria and may serve as a transmission vector to occupationally exposed slaughterhouse employees. Mitigation solutions aiming at the reduction of the bacterial discharge into the production water circuit as well as intervention of their further transmission and dissemination need to be elaborated. Furthermore, the efficacy of in-house WWTPs needs to be questioned. Reliable data on the occurrence and diversity of clinically relevant bacteria within slaughtering production chain and in the WWTPs effluents in Germany will help to assess their impact on public and environmental health. PMID: 32033950 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Applied and Environmental Microbiology - Category: Microbiology Authors: Tags: Appl Environ Microbiol Source Type: research