Antimicrobial Susceptibility Profiles of Pasteurella multocida Isolates from Clinical Cases of Waterfowl in Hungary between 2022 and 2023

Abstract

The waterfowl industry represents a narrow, yet economically significant, sector within the poultry industry. Although less prominent, the waterfowl sector is nonetheless of equal importance to any other livestock sector in terms of antimicrobial resistance and animal health issues. This study assesses the antimicrobial resistance profile of Pasteurella multocida bacterial strains isolated from clinical cases in Hungary's duck and goose populations, determining the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 27 samples collected from 15 different locations. The results indicate that the isolated strains were susceptible to most antibiotics, except for notable resistance to enrofloxacin. These findings support that Pasteurella multocida largely retained its susceptibility. However, the observed resistance to enrofloxacin suggests overuse of fluoroquinolones, which indicates the potential need for stricter regulation of their use in the poultry industry.

Keywords: MIC; Pasteurella multocida; antimicrobial resistance; ducks; fluoroquinolone resistant; geese; minimum inhibitory concentration; waterfowl.

Figure 1

The distribution of the origin of our samples. Almost half of samples (48%) originated from the Dél-Alföld region (darker gray).

Figure 2

The organ-specific origin of the isolated strains that caused infection, categorized by species. Most infections affected geese, with the majority of bacteria isolated from the liver.

Figure 3

Comparison of the categories susceptible, intermediate, and resistant (clinical breakpoints) as well as wild-type and non-wild-type (EUCAST) using the combination enrofloxacin and Pasteurella multocida.