Prevalence of Shiga toxin-producing and Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli Isolated from Chicken Meat in the west of Iran

Abstract Objective: Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is known as a crucial zoonotic foodborne pathogen. Totally, 257 raw chicken meat were collected from markets in Hamadan, west of Iran. The samples were cultured on selective media and the virulence genes of E. coli isolates were analyzed by PCR. The antibiotic resistance patterns were determined by the disk diffusion method. The genetic relatedness of the E. coli O157 isolates was analyzed by ERIC-PCR. Results: Totally, 93 (36%; 95% CI 41.9- 30.1%) isolates were identified as E. coli. Based on microbiological tests, 36 (38.7%; 95% CI 48.6-28.8), 7 (7.5%; 95% CI 12.8-2.2%), and 12 (12.9%; 95% CI 19.7- 6.1%) of the E. coli isolates were characterized as STEC, Enteropathogenic E. coli, and attaching and effacing E. coli (AEEC) strains, respectively. A high level of resistance to nalidixic acid (91.4%; 95% CI 97.1- 85.7%), tetracycline (89.8%; 95% CI 96.2-83.5%), ampicillin (82.8%; 95% CI 90.2-75.1%), and sulfametoxazole-trimotoprime (71%; 95% CI 80.2-61.8%) was detected among the E. coli isolates. The analysis of ERIC-PCR results showed five different ERIC types among the E. coli O157 isolates. Based on findings. Control and check-up of poultry meats should be considered as a crucial issue for public health.