Multi-drug resistant pathogenic <i>Escherichia coli </i>isolated from wild birds, chicken, and the environment in Malaysia

<p>Transmission of pathogenic microorganisms in the last decades has been considered a significant health hazard and pathogenic <em>E. coli</em>, particularly antibiotic-resistant strains, have long been identified as a zoonotic problem. This study aimed to investigate multidrug resistant pathogenic <em>E. coli</em> isolates from wild birds, chickens, and environment in selected Orang Asli and Malay villages in Peninsular Malaysia. The bacteriological culture-based technique, disc diffusion method, and multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (mPCR) assay was used to determine the occurrence of pathogenic <em>E. coli</em> strains in the several samples in the study. <em>E. coli</em> isolates showed a variety of multi-drug resistant (MDR) antibiotypes and Enteropathogenic <em>E. coli</em> (EPEC) and Enteroinvasive <em>E. coli</em> (EIEC) were the most predominantly identified pathogenic <em>E. coli</em> strains. The findings of this study demonstrated the significance of animal reservoirs and the environment as sources of pathogenic <em>E. coli,</em> resistant bacteria, and resistance genes. Hence, there is a need for adoption of a practical surveillance approach on MDR pathogens to control foodborne contamination. </p>