Molecular Surveillance of blaTEM beta-Lactamase Gene in poultry droppings: A critical risk for antimicrobial resistance in Farm setting

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global health concern, exacerbated by the overuse of antibiotics in animal husbandry, particularly in the poultry industry. A cross-sectional study was conducted between July 2021 and July 2022, collecting 80 samples from poultry farms in Savar, Hemayetpur, Manikganj, Gazipur, and Tangail. A total of 106 bacterial isolates were identified, where Escherichia coli became the most prevalent (47.2%), followed by Enterobacter cloacae (12.3%) and Citrobacter freundii (5.7%). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed high resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics, including carbapenems, with 73.6% of isolates resistant to imipenem and 61.3% resistant to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid. The blaTEM gene was detected in 33% of the isolates. A weak association between phenotypic resistance and the presence of blaTEM was observed. The high prevalence of multidrug-resistant bacteria and ESBL genes in poultry feces indicates a significant risk of transmission to humans, posing a threat to public health. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of one prominent Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL) gene, blaTEM in bacterial isolates from poultry feces in Bangladesh.