Study on the Drug-resistance of Escherichia coli Isolated from Sheep in Inner Mongolia

In order to determine the drug resistance phenotype and prevalence of drug resistance genes in Escherichia coli (E.coli) isolated from sheep in Inner Mongolia, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the isolates to antibiotics commonly used in veterinary clinical were detected by micro-dilution method in vitro. The results showed that the highest resistance rates of the isolates to amoxicillin,cephalothin,sulfamethoxazole and polymyxin were up to 100.0%,respectively.To amoxicillin-clavulanic, tetracycline and ciprofloxacin were 50% to 80%. These isolates were sensitive to cefotaxime, meropenem trihydrate, neomycin, and their resistance rates were all less than 10%. Among the 108 strains of E.coli from sheep, 94.4% of them were resistant to more than 7 antimicrobial agents,15.6% of them were resistant to 13 antimicrobial agents, only one strain was sensitive to all antimicrobial agents. Six kinds of resistance genes among the 108 E.coli isolates were detected by PCR method.The results showed that detection rates of 4 kinds of drug resistance genes including bla_TEM, proP-2, sul-Ⅰ and ampG were all over 50%,the detection rate of resistance gene aph (3')-Ⅰ was up to 40%, only resistance gene aac(3)-Ⅱ detection rate was 5.5%. Thus, the sheep E.coli isolates in Inner Mongolia produced various degrees of resistance to 13 kinds of antibiotics, and their multi-drug resistances were very serious. They carried aph(3')-Ⅰ, sul-Ⅰ, ampG, bla_TEM, proP-2 and aac(3)-Ⅱ resistance genes.