Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Apr 30;16(9):1530.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph16091530.

Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL)-Producing Escherichia coli Isolated from Flies in the Urban Center of Berlin, Germany

Wibke Wetzker  1   2 , Yvonne Pfeifer  3 , Solvy Wolke  4   5 , Andrea Haselbeck  6   7   8 , Rasmus Leistner  9   10 , Axel Kola  11   12 , Petra Gastmeier  13   14 , Florian Salm  15   16
Affiliations

Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL)-Producing Escherichia coli Isolated from Flies in the Urban Center of Berlin, Germany

Wibke Wetzker et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: The monitoring of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in microorganisms that circulate in the environment is an important topic of scientific research and contributes to the development of action plans to combat the spread of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria. As a synanthropic vector for multiple pathogens and a reservoir for AMR, flies can be used for surveillance. Methods: We collected 163 flies in the inner city of Berlin and examined them for extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli genotypically and phenotypically. Results: The prevalence of ESBL-producing E. coli in flies was 12.9%. Almost half (47.6%) of the ESBL-positive samples showed a co-resistance to ciprofloxacin. Resistance to carbapenems or colistin was not detected. The predominant ESBL-type was CTX-M-1, which is associated with wildlife, livestock, and companion animals as a potential major source of transmission of MDR E. coli to flies. Conclusions: This field study confirms the permanent presence of ESBL-producing E. coli in an urban fly population. For continuous monitoring of environmental contamination with multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria, flies can be used as indicators without much effort.

Keywords: CTX-M-1; antimicrobial resistance; multidrug resistance; plasmid transfer; surveillance.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

    1. Lahlaoui H., Ben Haj Khalifa A., Ben Moussa M. Epidemiology of Enterobacteriaceae producing CTX-M type extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) Med. Mal. Infect. 2014;44:400–404. doi: 10.1016/j.medmal.2014.03.010. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hendrik T.C., Voor In’t Holt A.F., Vos M.C. Clinical and Molecular Epidemiology of Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase-Producing Klebsiella spp.: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses. PLoS ONE. 2015;10:e0140754. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0140754. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Karanika S., Karantanos T., Arvanitis M., Grigoras C., Mylonakis E. Fecal Colonization with Extended-spectrum Beta-lactamase-Producing Enterobacteriaceae and Risk Factors among Healthy Individuals: A Systematic Review and Metaanalysis. Clin. Infect. Dis. 2016;63:310–318. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciw283. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bevan E.R., Jones A.M., Hawkey P.M. Global epidemiology of CTX-M beta-lactamases: Temporal and geographical shifts in genotype. J. Antimicrob. Chemother. 2017;72:2145–2155. doi: 10.1093/jac/dkx146. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Guenther S., Aschenbrenner K., Stamm I., Bethe A., Semmler T., Stubbe A., Stubbe M., Batsajkhan N., Glupczynski Y., Wieler L.H., et al. Comparable high rates of extended-spectrum-beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli in birds of prey from Germany and Mongolia. PLoS ONE. 2012;7:e53039. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0053039. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Substances