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. 2025 Jul 25:12:1589747.
doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1589747. eCollection 2025.

Antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of commensal Clostridium perfringens isolates from chickens in Hungarian poultry farms between 2022 and 2023

Ádám Kerek  1   2 , Ábel Szabó  1 , Franciska Barnácz  1 , Bence Csirmaz  1 , László Kovács  2   3   4 , Ákos Jerzsele  1   2
Affiliations

Antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of commensal Clostridium perfringens isolates from chickens in Hungarian poultry farms between 2022 and 2023

Ádám Kerek et al. Front Vet Sci. .

Abstract

Introduction: One of the most pressing challenges of our time is the global spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Regular surveillance studies are critical for advancing collaborative efforts between animal and public health sectors, aligning with the One Health concept.

Methods: In this study, we aimed to assess the antibiotic susceptibility of commensal Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) strains (n = 146) isolated from largescale poultry farms in Hungary, using minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) determinations. Additionally, PCR was employed to investigate the presence of major and minor virulence factors.

Results: Our findings revealed a decrease in the efficacy of penicillin-based antibiotics, which are primary choices for treating C. perfringens-related infections, with resistance observed in 48.3% of isolates for penicillin and 20.7% for amoxicillin. Furthermore, virulence gene analysis identified 47 strains (32.2%) carrying the major beta toxin gene, one strain with the epsilon toxin gene (0.7%), 27 strains (18.5%) with the minor beta2 toxin gene, and four strains (2.7%) with the netB toxin gene.

Discussion: These results underscore the necessity of regular surveillance studies and highlight the significant role of commensal strains as reservoirs for sustaining resistance. Future research should include larger sample sizes to provide a more comprehensive understanding of resistance dynamics. Additionally, the genetic basis of resistance in multidrug-resistant strains should be elucidated using next-generation sequencing, enabling targeted interventions to address this growing concern.

Keywords: Clostridium perfringens; Hungary; PCR; antimicrobial resistance; chickens; minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC).

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Conflict of interest statement

LK was employed by Poultry-Care Kft. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Regional origin of samples collected from chickens across the seven regions of Hungary. Black dots indicate the geographic locations (n = 23) of sample sources, demonstrating nationwide coverage.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Correlation analysis of resistance rates between various active substances following the determination of resistance levels in Clostridium perfringens strains (n = 146) isolated from domestic chickens.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Hierarchical cluster analysis of commensal Clostridium perfringens strains (n = 146) isolated from chickens. The branches of the dendrogram represent clusters of isolates with similar resistance profiles, while the branch lengths indicate the degree of similarity or difference among the isolates.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Principal component analysis (PCA) of commensal Clostridium perfringens strains (n = 146) isolated from chickens. The first principal component accounted for the largest variance, followed by the second principal component. Only a few strains were observed in the third cluster.
Figure 5
Figure 5
The susceptibility profile of commensal Clostridium perfringens strains (n = 146) isolated from domestic chickens to antibiotics with defined clinical breakpoints.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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