Multidrug Resistant Escherichia coli from Chickens and Humans: One Health Approach

Abstract

This chapter presents the findings of a comprehensive study conducted in Trinidad and Tobago to characterize extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) and extra-intestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) associated virulence genes in isolates from, chickens and humans. The study was designed as a cross-sectional analysis over a three-month period, during which a total of 471 isolates were collected and identified from humans treated at a regional tertiary hospital and chicken caecal samples from "pluck shops" in Trinidad & Tobago. The ESBLs and virulence genes in the isolates were determined using conventional and molecular microbiological methods, including polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. The chapter highlights the prevalence and distribution of ESBL and virulence-associated genes in the Escherichia coli isolates from both human and chicken sources and discusses their potential implications in public health. And this is also in keeping with a description of one health approach to health.