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. 2018 Sep 11;13(9):e0203158.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0203158. eCollection 2018.

Off-label use of ceftiofur in one-day chicks triggers a short-term increase of ESBL-producing E. coli in the gut

Mauro M S Saraiva  1 , Alexandre L B Moreira Filho  1   2 , Oliveiro C Freitas Neto  3 , Núbia M V Silva  1 , Patrícia E N Givisiez  1 , Wondwossen A Gebreyes  4   5 , Celso J B Oliveira  1   2   5
Affiliations

Off-label use of ceftiofur in one-day chicks triggers a short-term increase of ESBL-producing E. coli in the gut

Mauro M S Saraiva et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

This trial was designed to evaluate the off-label use of ceftiofur with Marek's vaccine in one-day-old broiler chicks, a prophylactic treatment that has been done in some commercial hatcheries, on the emergence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-E. coli). A total of 168 chicks (Cobb500®) were used in a completely randomized design. Birds were assigned to two treatments (Marek's vaccine plus saline vs Marek's vaccine plus ceftiofur) and six repetitions, with 14 animals each. Cloacal swabs were collected from 1 to 14 days post-hatch. The majority (86%; p<0.0001) of the ESBL-producing isolates harboring blaCTX-M and blaSHV genes originated from animals receiving the antimicrobial. None of the isolates were positive for plasmid-mediated AmpC betalactamase genes (blaACC, blaCMY-2, blaDHA, blaFOX, blaMOX and blaMIR). These findings indicate that the off-label use of ceftiofur with Marek's vaccine is associated with the short-term increase in ESBL-producing Escherichia coli in the gut of chicks.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. ERIC-PCR genotyping of ESBL-E. coli cultured from broiler chick cloacal swabs.
Dendrogram showing the genotypic similarities among ESBL-positive E. coli by means of ERIC-PCR. Key = Identification of isolate; AG = antimicrobial-administered group—0.2mL (2 mg/L) of ceftiofur; CG = control group—0.2mL of saline solution.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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