Prevalence of Antimicrobial Resistance and Clonal Relationship in ESBL/AmpC-Producing Proteus mirabilis Isolated from Meat Products and Community-Acquired Urinary Tract Infection (UTI-CA) in Southern Brazil

The present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance and clonal relationships in Proteus mirabilis isolated from chicken meat, beef, pork, and community-acquired urinary tract infections (UTI-CA). Chicken meat isolates showed the highest multidrug resistance (MDR), followed by those from pork and UTI-CA, whereas beef had relatively few MDR strains. All sources had strains that carried bla(CTX-M-65), whereas bla(CTX-M-2) and bla(CMY-2) were only detected in chicken meat and UTI-CA isolates. This indicates that chicken meat should be considered an important risk factor for the spread of P. mirabilis carrying ESBL and AmpC. Furthermore, ESBL/AmpC producing strains were resistant to a greater number of antimicrobials and possessed more resistance genes than non-producing strains. In addition, the antimicrobial resistance genes qnrD, aac(6 ')-Ib-cr, sul1, sul2, fosA3, cmlA, and floR were also found. Molecular typing showed a genetic similarity between chicken meat and UTI-CA isolates, including some strains with 100% similarity, indicating that chicken can be a source of P. mirabilis causing UTI-CA. It was concluded that meat, especially chicken meat, can be an important source of dissemination of multidrug-resistant P. mirabilis in the community.

Automated summary

The study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance and clonal relationships in Proteus mirabilis isolated from different sources. Results showed that chicken meat had the highest multidrug resistance, followed by pork and community-acquired urinary tract infections (UTI-CA), while beef had relatively few multidrug-resistant strains. Various antimicrobial resistance genes were detected, especially in chicken meat and UTI-CA isolates. Molecular typing revealed genetic similarity between chicken meat and UTI-CA isolates, indicating that chicken could be a source of P. mirabilis causing UTI-CA. It was concluded that meat, especially chicken, can be an important source of multidrug-resistant P. mirabilis dissemination in the community.