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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, June 2008, p. 3658-3666, Vol. 74, No. 12
0099-2240/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.02505-07
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Associations between Antimicrobial Resistance Genes in Fecal Generic Escherichia coli Isolates from Cow-Calf Herds in Western Canada{triangledown}

Sheryl P. Gow,1,3* Cheryl L. Waldner,1 Josee Harel,2 and Patrick Boerlin3,4

Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada,1 Département de Pathologie et Microbiologie, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada,2 Laboratory for Foodborne Zoonoses, Public Health Agency of Canada, Guelph, Ontario, and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada,3 Department of Pathobiology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada4

Received 6 November 2007/ Accepted 11 April 2008

The objective of this study was to examine associations among the genetic determinants of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in 207 fecal generic Escherichia coli isolates obtained from 77 cow-calf herds in western Canada. Twenty-three resistance genes corresponding to six different antimicrobial families were assessed using DNA hybridization and PCR. The most common resistance genes in the study sample (207 isolates) were sul2 (48.3%), tet(B) (45.4%), and ant(3'')-Ia (aadA1) (19.3%). Several statistically significant associations between the examined resistance genes were detected. The strongest associations observed were those between genes for resistance to chloramphenicol (catI) and trimethoprim (dhfrI) (odds ratio [OR] = 214; P = 0.0001), sulfonamide (sul1) and chloramphenicol (catI) (OR = 96.9; P = 0.0001), streptomycin [ant(3'')-Ia (aadA1)] and trimethoprim (dhfrI) (OR = 96.2; P = 0.0001), sulfonamide (sul1) and streptomycin [ant(3'')-Ia (aadA1)] (OR = 79.3; P = 0.0001), and tetracycline [tet(B)] and sulfonamides (sul2) (OR = 25.7; P = 0.0001). At least one of the resistance genes corresponding to each nonaminoglycoside family of antimicrobials examined in this study was associated with the two aminoglycoside resistance genes ant(3'')-Ia (aadA1) and aph(3')-Ia. The multiple, strong associations between genes and the diverse nature of the associations described in this study demonstrate the complexity of resistance gene selection in cow-calf herds and should be considered in the planning of AMR control practices for cow-calf operations.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Public Health Agency of Canada, Laboratory for Foodborne Zoonoses, Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, 52 Campus Dr., Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4, Canada. Phone: (306) 966-2232. Fax: (306) 966-7159. E-mail: sheryl.gow{at}usask.ca

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 18 April 2008.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, June 2008, p. 3658-3666, Vol. 74, No. 12
0099-2240/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.02505-07
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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