Prevalence and Characterization of Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase- and Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacterales from Tunisian Seafood

Mehdi Sola (1) , Yosra Mani (1) , Estelle Saras (2, 3, 4) , Antoine Drapeau (2, 3, 4) , Raoudha Grami (1) , Mahjoub Aouni (5) , Jean-Yves Madec (2, 3, 4) , Marisa Haenni (2, 3, 4) , Wejdene Mansour (1)

1 Faculté de médecine de Sousse [Ibn EL Jazzar]
2 Université de Lyon
3 Laboratoire de Lyon [ANSES]
4 AVB - Unité Antibiorésistance et Virulence Bactériennes
5 UM - Université de Monastir - University of Monastir

Aquaculture is a rapidly expanding sector in which it is important to monitor the occurrence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria. The presence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL-) or carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales is a commonly used indicator of the resistance burden in a given sector. In this study, 641 pieces of farmed fish (sea bream and sea bass), as well as 1075 Mediterranean clams, were analyzed. All ESBL- and carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales collected were whole-genome sequenced. The proportion of ESBL-producing Enterobacterales was 1.4% in fish and 1.6% in clams, carried by Escherichia coli (n = 23) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 4). The ESBL phenotype was exclusively due to the presence of blaCTX-M genes, the most frequent one being blaCTX-M-15. The blaCTX-M-1 gene was also identified in six E. coli, among which four were carried by IncI1/pST3 plasmids, possibly betraying an animal origin. Carbapenemases were absent in fish but identified in two K. pneumoniae isolates from clams (blaNDM-1 and blaOXA-48). Several sequence types (STs) identified were associated with human MDR clones such as E. coli ST131 and ST617, or K. pneumoniae ST307 and ST147. Our results might indicate that bacteria from hospital or farm effluents can reach the open sea and contaminate seafood and fish that are living or raised nearby. Therefore, monitoring the quality of water discharged to the sea and the presence of MDR bacteria in seafood is mandatory to ensure the quality of fishery products.

Mots clés: fish; clam; blaCTX-15; blaNDM-1; blaOXA-48; IncF

Domaines: Bactériologie

Mehdi Sola, Yosra Mani, Estelle Saras, Antoine Drapeau, Raoudha Grami, et al.. Prevalence and Characterization of Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase- and Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacterales from Tunisian Seafood. Microorganisms, 2022, 10 (7), pp.1364. ⟨10.3390/microorganisms10071364⟩. ⟨anses-03956885⟩