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Pansusceptible Escherichia coli isolates obtained from faeces of free-ranging Baird’s tapirs (Tapirus bairdii) suggests a low selective pressure for resistance determinants in the northwestern region of the Talamanca Mountain Range, Costa Rica

2018; Elsevier BV; Volume: 16; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.jgar.2018.09.014

2213-7173

Jorge Rojas-Jiménez, Esteban Brenes‐Mora, Paloma Alcázar-García, Randall Arguedas, Elías Barquero‐Calvo,

Zoonotic diseases and public health

The main objective of this study was to analyse the antimicrobial susceptibility profile of Escherichia coli isolates obtained from faecal samples of free-ranging Baird's tapirs (Tapirus bairdii) in the northwestern region of the Talamanca Mountain Range, Costa Rica. Faecal samples were collected by opportunistic search of the study area from February–September 2017 during seven field expeditions. Escherichia coli isolates were recovered using selective and differential MacConkey agar medium and were subjected to biochemical identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing using a VITEK®2 Compact automated system and the AST-N279 card. A total of 60 E. coli isolates were obtained from 63 faecal samples. Following evaluation of nine different antimicrobial classes, 98% (59/60) of the isolates were characterised as pansusceptible; only 1 isolate presented resistance to nalidixic acid. We propose that the commensal intestinal microbiota of free-ranging Baird's tapirs in this area remains isolated from antibiotic selective pressure, probably because seven different protected areas converge, thus giving a possible low anthropogenic activity to the region.