Antimicrobial Drug Resistance inIsolated From Edible Snakes With Pneumonia and Its Pathogenicity in Chickens.

Abstract

The growing consumption of snakes in China has led to a boom in edible snakes farming. Food producing reptiles, such as snakes can carry many pathogenic microbes and potentially infect humans. Here, we report the occurrence of multi drug resistantstrains isolated from edible snakes in China. Our results showed that the isolatedwas resistant to the majority of the tested drugs and sensitive to tetracycline and amikacin. Antimicrobial susceptibility test showed that the strains carried the blaTEM, qnrD, aadA, catAo, sul I, and sul II genes. The pathogenicity testing of theisolated strains showed that these strains were highly pathogenic (75% mortality, with LDat 10CFU/mL). The chickens in the high-dose groups developed acute septicemia and died within 24 h. Results of the dissection showed extensive abdominal bleeding and swelling in the high dose groups, as well as hyperemia edema in the livers, lungs, kidneys, cecum, and bursa of the chickens, with spotty bleeding. In addition, rod-shaped bacterial aggregation was also seen in the visual field. A total of 23 virulence genes, mainly associated with pathogenicity island were tested, of which 8 genes including avrA, iacP, prgK, ssrA, siiD (spi4D), siiE, spi4H, and pipC were found positive. Altogether, our results provide useful information regarding edible snakes contaminated with, which may have public health implications.