TY - JOUR

T1 - Investigation of Antibiotic Resistance of E. coli Associated with Farm Animal Feces with Participation of Citizen Scientists

AU - Timofeeva, Anna M.

AU - Galyamova, Maria R.

AU - Krivosheev, Dmitriy M.

AU - Karabanov, Sergey Yu

AU - Sedykh, Sergey E.

N1 - This work was supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, agreement No. 075-15-2021-1085.

PY - 2024/11

Y1 - 2024/11

N2 - This paper presents the findings of a large-scale study on antibiotic resistance in bacteria found in farm animal feces across Russia. The study included 6578 samples of farm animal manure from 13 regions in Russia, with the help of citizen scientists. Molecular and microbiological methods were used to analyze 1111 samples of E. coli. The microbiological analysis focused on culturing the microorganisms present in the fecal samples on selective media for E. coli and evaluating the sensitivity of the bacteria to different antibiotics, including ampicillin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, cefotaxime, and ciprofloxacin. The molecular analysis involved isolating the genomic DNA of the bacteria and conducting PCR assays to detect the vanA, vanB, and mcr-1 antibiotic resistance genes. The results demonstrated significant differences in antibiotic sensitivity of the samples that are morphologically identical to E. coli from different regions. For example, 98.0% and 82.5% of E. coli and other fecal bacterial isolates from the Omsk and Vologda regions lacked antibiotic resistance genes, while 97.7% of samples from the Voronezh region possessed three resistance genes simultaneously. The phenotypic antibiotic sensitivity test also revealed regional differences. For instance, 98.1% of fecal bacterial samples from cattle in the Udmurt Republic were sensitive to all five antibiotics tested, whereas 92.8% of samples from the Voronezh region showed resistance to all five antibiotics. The high level of antibiotic resistance observed may be attributed to their use in farming practices. The distinctive feature of our research is that comprehensive geographical coverage was achieved by using a citizen science platform. Citizen scientists, specifically students from colleges and universities, were responsible for the collection and initial analysis of samples. The project attracted 3096 student participants, enabling the collection and analysis of a significant number of samples from various locations in Russia.

AB - This paper presents the findings of a large-scale study on antibiotic resistance in bacteria found in farm animal feces across Russia. The study included 6578 samples of farm animal manure from 13 regions in Russia, with the help of citizen scientists. Molecular and microbiological methods were used to analyze 1111 samples of E. coli. The microbiological analysis focused on culturing the microorganisms present in the fecal samples on selective media for E. coli and evaluating the sensitivity of the bacteria to different antibiotics, including ampicillin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, cefotaxime, and ciprofloxacin. The molecular analysis involved isolating the genomic DNA of the bacteria and conducting PCR assays to detect the vanA, vanB, and mcr-1 antibiotic resistance genes. The results demonstrated significant differences in antibiotic sensitivity of the samples that are morphologically identical to E. coli from different regions. For example, 98.0% and 82.5% of E. coli and other fecal bacterial isolates from the Omsk and Vologda regions lacked antibiotic resistance genes, while 97.7% of samples from the Voronezh region possessed three resistance genes simultaneously. The phenotypic antibiotic sensitivity test also revealed regional differences. For instance, 98.1% of fecal bacterial samples from cattle in the Udmurt Republic were sensitive to all five antibiotics tested, whereas 92.8% of samples from the Voronezh region showed resistance to all five antibiotics. The high level of antibiotic resistance observed may be attributed to their use in farming practices. The distinctive feature of our research is that comprehensive geographical coverage was achieved by using a citizen science platform. Citizen scientists, specifically students from colleges and universities, were responsible for the collection and initial analysis of samples. The project attracted 3096 student participants, enabling the collection and analysis of a significant number of samples from various locations in Russia.

KW - ampicillin

KW - antibiotic resistance

KW - antibiotic resistance genes

KW - cefotaxime

KW - chloramphenicol

KW - ciprofloxacin

KW - citizen science

KW - colistin

KW - commensal bacteria

KW - crowdsourcing

KW - mcr-1

KW - tetracycline

KW - vanA

KW - vanB

KW - vancomycin

UR - https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85210434034&origin=inward&txGid=671ec38110e596ee2dd9e746bc724a52

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/2890555e-463f-351b-ac07-cd7625a0530c/

U2 - 10.3390/microorganisms12112308

DO - 10.3390/microorganisms12112308

M3 - Article

C2 - 39597696

VL - 12

JO - Microorganisms

JF - Microorganisms

SN - 2076-2607

IS - 11

M1 - 2308

ER -