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Drug Resistance and Conjugative R Plasmids in Fecal Escherichia coli Strains Isolated from Healthy Younger Animals (Chickens, Piglets, Calves) and Children
Author(s) -
Kanai Hisashi,
Hashimoto Hajime,
Mitsuhashi Susumu
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
microbiology and immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1348-0421
pISSN - 0385-5600
DOI - 10.1111/j.1348-0421.1983.tb02937.x
Subject(s) - biology , plasmid , kanamycin , tetracycline , escherichia coli , drug resistance , feces , streptomycin , microbiology and biotechnology , veterinary medicine , isolation (microbiology) , antibiotics , medicine , genetics , dna , gene
A total of 11,777 Escherichia coli strains were isolated from 90 chickens, 103 piglets, 96 calves, and 104 children in 1979 in Gunma Prefecture and tested for drug resistance and the presence of conjugative R plasmids. The percentages of individuals that excreted drug‐resistant strains were: chickens, 100%; piglets, 99%; calves, 100%; and children, 64%. The frequency of isolation of drug‐resistant strains among the total isolates was: chickens, 98%; piglets, 93%; calves, 94%; and children, 41%. Frequency of isolation of R plasmids among the strains tested was: chickens, 48%; piglets, 33%; calves, 38%; and children, 10%. Resistance patterns of the strains isolated most frequently among the four groups were tetracycline (TC), sulfonamides (SA) in single resistance, TC.SA in double resistance, TC.streptomycin (SM).SA in triple resistance and TC.SM.SA. kanamycin (KM) in quadruple resistance. R plasmids were isolated frequently from animals (over 33%) but infrequently from children (about 10%). The high frequency of isolation of drug‐resistant strains and R plasmids from animals was caused by the heavy use of chemicals in the period of growth of younger animals.