One health approach on zoonotic multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from Egyptian cattle, horses, and humans.

BACKGROUND

Worldwide, zoonotic diseases represent serious risks to public health, underscoring the need for efficient surveillance techniques. The One Health concept has gained popularity as a comprehensive paradigm for tackling zoonotic disease surveillance because it acknowledges the correlation of pathogens, animals, humans, and the surrounding environment. Public health is now concerned about antibiotic-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae), which causes severe impurities in animals and humans, leading to morbidity and mortality.

AIM: This study examined the collaborative efforts between human and animal (cattle and horses) health sectors, as well as other pertinent risk factors, in implementing the One Health surveillance strategy against klebsiellosis in one Egyptian district. In addition, this study analyzed some K. pneumoniae antimicrobial resistance genes to improve future medical treatment strategies against zoonotic klebsiellosis.

METHODS

Klebsiella pneumoniae was isolated from 50 cattle raw milk samples, 50 horse nasal swabs, and 50 human sputum samples using MacConkey's agar and Xylose lysine deoxycholate media with a detailed explanation of the associated risk factors of infection acquisition. Then, antibiotic sensitivity tests for the positive samples were conducted on plates of Mueller-Hinton agar. In addition, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed on the positive isolates to detect the pathogen and antibiotic resistance genes.

RESULTS

Klebsiella pneumoniae was effectively isolated from 8% of milk samples, 12% of nasal swabs, and 16% of sputum samples. Upon conducting antibiotic sensitivity tests, the isolated organisms showed resistance to 100% amoxicillin-clavulanic, 93.3% cefotaxime, 86.66% cepaxime, and 66.66% tetracycline. Only 11 of 18 positive K. pneumoniae samples were PCR-positive. Only 10 of 11 positive PCR samples were positive for the TetA(A) gene; however, all 11 samples were positive for the blaTEM gene.

CONCLUSIONS

By focusing on various risk factors of disease acquisition, this study sheds light on the zoonotic hazard of K. pneumoniae that has been hitherto underestimated. It also emphasizes the significance of integrating One Health into surveillance for antibiotic-resistant klebsiellosis and the necessity of ongoing innovation and collaboration to improve the efficacy of upcoming surveillance plans in Egypt to control the spread of the disease between animals and humans.