Are E. coli from diarrheic piglets more often multidrug resistant?
Among weaned piglets in Catalonia, multidrug-resistant E. coli were more frequent in diarrheic animals than in apparently healthy animals.
Among weaned piglets in Catalonia, multidrug-resistant E. coli were more frequent in diarrheic animals than in apparently healthy animals.
Problem: Postweaning diarrhea commonly drives antimicrobial use even though resistance in E. coli may substantially limit treatment efficacy.
Methods: Susceptibility to 14 antimicrobials was tested in 251 E. coli isolates from diarrheic piglets (n=148) and apparently healthy piglets (n=103) in Catalonia.
1. Overall, 41.4% of isolates were multidrug resistant, with multidrug resistance more frequent in diarrheic than healthy piglets at 49.3% versus 35.0% (p=0.031).
2. Resistance was particularly high to erythromycin (99.6%), amoxicillin (95.2%), streptomycin (91.6%), and tetracycline (88.8%), and resistance was also substantial among higher-priority antimicrobial classes.
3. Colistin resistance remained present, with an MIC90 of 4 µg/mL, supporting susceptibility testing rather than assuming that an antimicrobial will remain effective.
Original publication
Garcias B, Martin M, Darwich L. Characterization of Antimicrobial Resistance in Escherichia coli Isolated from Diarrheic and Healthy Weaned Pigs in Catalonia. Animals. 2024;14(3):487.