Multidrug-resistant Enterococcus faecalis isolated from ornamental animals feed

Enterococcus faecalis is one of the species most strongly associated with cases of nosocomial infections. This pathogen is resistant to several antimicrobial classes, having an enormous capacity to acquire and transfer resistance genes. The objective of this work was to evaluate the level of antibiotic resistance Enterococcus faecalis isolates recovered from samples of food supplied to ornamental animals. A total of 57 samples of ornamental animal feed (birds, fish, mammals and reptiles) were collected between February and December 2020. Hundred and three Enterococcus faecalis putative isolates, obtained from Slanetz-Bartley and Kanamycin azide aesculin agar selective plates, were recovered from 15 birds, 9 from fish and 4 from reptile feed samples. The identification of isolates was confirmed by standard biochemical tests. Antimicrobial susceptibility was performed using 14 antimicrobial agents by the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method, according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute standards. Enterococcus faecalis isolates showed a higher prevalence of rifampicin resistance (77.7%). Additionally, these isolates also demonstrated resistance to erythromycin (48.5%) and ciprofloxacin (37.9%). None of the isolates showed resistance to gentamicin and streptomycin. Almost half of the isolates (47.6%) showed multidrug-resistance profile; 23.3% showed resistance to 3 different antimicrobial classes, 6.8% to 4 and 17.5% to 5 or more classes. In conclusion, these results indicated a significant presence of E. faecalis in the feeding of ornamental animals, as well as, multidrug-resistant isolates, becoming a public health problem given the proximity and interaction of humans with these animals.