Isolation of Klebsiella pneumoniae from chicken cloacal samples and analysis of their antibiotic susceptibility pattern from Dhaka City

Abstract

"Background: Zoonotic pathogens can be transmitted from animals to humans, which represent a significant threat to human health due to the possibility of triggering infectious disease outbreaks. This study aimed to detect the prevalence of zoonotic bacteria Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) in different types of chicken from Dhaka city.

Materials and Methods: In this study, 82 chicken cloacal swabs were collected from nine well-known wet marketplaces around Dhaka city from February 2024 to June 2024. These chickens were randomly selected from four different types of chicken, which were processed with saline water under aseptic conditions and inoculated by spreading on HiCrome KPC agar medium for isolation and identification of K. pneumoniae. Metallic blue-colored colonies were considered presumptive K. pneumoniae. Then, PCR was used to confirm K. pneumoniae by targeting the ""16S–23S internal transcribed spacer"" gene. Following that, the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method was then used to test for antibiotic susceptibility, and the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI, 2023) guidelines were followed to interpret the antibiotic susceptibility pattern.

Results: Among the 82 samples analyzed, K. pneumoniae was detected in 41 (50%) cases. Randomly selected 50 isolates underwent Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing, where 80% of the isolates were Multiple Drug-Resistant and 50% were Extensively Drug-Resistant. Isolates showed higher antibiotic resistance to Amoxicillin, Tetracycline, Piperacillin/Tazobactam, and Ciprofloxacin, with resistance rates ranging from 55% to 95% and higher sensitivity to Meropenem and Azithromycin, ranging from 45% to 75%.

Conclusion: Findings in this study showed a high occurrence of K. pneumoniae in chickens, indicating that these chickens might be an important reservoir for human and animal infections and suggesting their potential threat to food safety. So, preventive measures, including enhanced biosecurity and public education, must be strengthened to mitigate the spread of zoonotic illnesses."