β-Lactamase activity of C. difficile isolated from foods of animal origin, food animals and human stool samples of animal origin

Abstract

This study investigated the beta-lactamase activity in Clostridium difficile isolates obtained from food animals, animal-derived foods, and human stool samples. A total of 350 samples were collected from Gannavaram and Prakasam districts of Andhra Pradesh, including 175 fecal swabs from food animals, 125 food samples of animal origin, and 50 human stool samples. Using a species-specific PCR targeting the C. difficile gluD gene, 10 isolates were identified. These isolates were tested for beta-lactamase activity, specifically for the presence of blaTEM, blaSHV, and blaOXA genes. However, none of the isolates demonstrated beta-lactamase activity. The absence of these resistance markers suggests that, C. difficile strains from these particular sources are not exhibiting beta-lactamase-mediated resistance. These findings may contribute to the ongoing surveillance of C. difficile in various resources and further studies may be necessary to assess the genetic and phenotypic resistance profiles of C. difficile across different geographic regions and sources.