Antimicrobial resistance and virulent nature of Escherichia coli from an abattoir and retail market in Ghana

This study investigated virulence - associated resistance genes and phylogenetic analysis of Escherichia coli (E. coli) isolated from various meat types in Ghana. The prevalence of virulence genes detected among E. coli isolates were 71.4%, 24.5%, 20.4%, 18.4%, and 4.1% for ibeA, iutA, KpsMTII, papGIII, and sfa, respectively. The E. coli strains belonged to four major phylogenetic groups; group A (14.3%), group C (34.7%), group D (30.8%), and group F (6.1%). E. coli resistance to relevant antibiotics ranged between 12.5% and 85.7%. The prevalent resistance gene was tet A (16.3%), tet B (4.08%), and floR (4.08%). One E. coli isolate from local chicken harboured blaCTX-M and another from local guinea fowl meat carried blaTEM. Virulence and resistance genes occurred (P < 0.05) frequently in chicken meat and guinea fowl than other meat types. This study revealed that some meat types in Ghana contaminated with E. coli strains harboured several virulence and resistance genes. This may pose a serious threat to public health. Therefore, continuous surveillance of E. coli strains with virulence/resistance genes in different meat types is warranted. Furthermore, meats in Ghana should be well cooked prior to consumption.