Occurrence of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus at Selected Livestock-community Interfaces in Kandy, Sri Lanka

Abstract

Small-scale livestock farmers make a vital contribution to local milk, meat, and egg production in the Central Province. Although antimicrobial use is less common, these farmers use antimicrobials for therapeutic, metaphylactic, and prophylactic purposes. Certain communities have close and frequent contact with livestock and poultry, and locations with high-density human-animal contact are considered community, animal, and environmental hotspots. The objective of this pilot study was to assess the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance at the human-livestock-environment interface in selected livestock and community hotspots within the Kundasale and Wattegama Government Veterinary Ranges in Kandy District. Kumbukkadura (n = 55) and Ambakotte (n = 61) in the Kundasale Veterinary Range and Madawala (n = 25) in the Wattegama Veterinary Range were selected for the study. Samples (pharyngeal swabs, anal swabs, faeces, cloacal swabs, and other swabs) were collected from cattle, goats, poultry, squatting pans, and household waste outlets. Isolation and identification of E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus were performed using conventional methods. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed and interpreted according to EUCAST criteria, and PCR assays for CTX-M and mecA were conducted using previously described methods. CTX-M-carrying E. coli (n = 7) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (n = 11) were detected in the selected livestock-community hotspots. The findings indicate the presence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria at the human-livestock interface and highlight the importance of appropriate hygiene measures, good animal husbandry practices, and biosecurity standards to reduce the potential dissemination of resistant microorganisms at the selected study sites. Additional veterinary supervision of these communities or hotspots is required to support measures aimed at reducing potential spillover of AMR determinants between animals and humans.