Molecular Characterization of Antibiotic Resistance Gene Pattern of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli in Mastitis Affected Dairy Cows

Background: Antimicrobial resistance is one of the latest challenges facing the scientific community. Raising the drug resistance is caused mainly by indiscriminate usage of antibiotics in human and animal subjects and the spread of antibiotic resistance between the two has an emerging global threat. Hence, current study aimed to study the antimicrobial resistance pattern and molecular detection of antibiotic resistance genes in Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli isolated from mastitis affected cows. Methods: Milk samples from mastitis affected cows were subjected to antibiotic sensitivity test and screened for presence of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli using differential growth media. Molecular characterization of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli was done with the help of PCR by amplification of 'nuc' and 'uspA' gene respectively. MICs of Penicillin and Tetracycline were determined using microdilution method. Result: Antibiotic sensitivity pattern for Penicillin G, Ampicillin, Amoxycillin, Cefotaxime, Ceftriaxone, Azithromycin, Ciprofloxacin, Gentamicin, Oxytetracycline, Tetracycline and Vancomycin were 74.19%, 100%, 93.50%, 61.29%, 29%, 35.48%, 9.70%, 9.70%, 70.96% and 70.96% respectively. More than 87.90% of the S. aureus and 50% of the E. coli isolated were resistant to beta-lactam antibiotics while 75% of the E.coli and 65.70% of the S. aureus isolated were resistant to Tetracycline antibiotics. The MICs of Penicillin for S.aureus and E.coli are 26.88 mu g/ml and 13.54 mu g/ml respectively and the MICs of Tetracycline for S. aureus and E. coli are 243.75 mu g/ml and 960.93 mu g/ml respectively which is 8-9 folds higher than the standard MICs. From the present study, it can be inferred that bovine mastitis cases are highly resistant to antimicrobial drugs. Results further indicate that Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli are both resistant to Penicillin and Tetracycline with very high MIC.