Liljebjelke, KarenThapa, Paras2015-07-092015-11-202015-07-092015Thapa, P. (2015). Environmental Reservoir of Antimicrobial Resistance in Poultry Production Facilities and Processing Plants in Alberta (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/25919http://hdl.handle.net/11023/2339This study was conducted to determine the role of environmental bacteria in maintaining antimicrobial resistance genes in poultry barns and poultry processing plants in Alberta. Aerobic, non-fastidious, fast growing bacteria were isolated from environmental samples. Approximately half of the bacteria were gram-negative and half were gram-positive. Resistance to clinically important antibiotics such as third generation cephalosporins was observed in 20-35% of the gram-negative isolates. Sixty percent of all bacteria assayed were considered multi-drug resistant, having resistance to antibiotics in three or more drug classes. Ten of 14 E. coli isolates were resistant to 1st, 2nd and 3rd generation cephalosporins, three of which harboured the blaCMY-2 gene, which encodes a plasmid borne AmpC cephalosporinase enzyme. Bacterial species expressing a variety of resistance phenotypes were tested for their ability to form a biofilm in vitro and for their ability to withstand exposure to commonly used disinfectants while residing in biofilm. In conclusion, multi-drug resistant environmental bacteria present in poultry barns and processing facilities can serve as reservoir of antimicrobial resistant genes, which could potentially be transferred to pathogenic bacteria.engUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.MicrobiologyVeterinary Scienceantimicrobial resistancepoultryBiofilmmaster thesis10.11575/PRISM/25919