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TDK conference 2023Szabó Emese - year 4 University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology Supervisor: Kerek Ádám One of today's major health problems is the wide spread of antimicrobial resistance. The spread of resistance genes is mainly linked to the unregulated overuse of antimicrobials. Probiotics used to supplement or replace antibiotic therapy may also carry the genes responsible for the development of resistance. There is no legal requirement to test for this in companion animal products and therefore the literature on this is scarce. The aim of our research is to investigate the antimicrobial resistance gene set (ARG) of probiotic products for companion animals in Hungary and to determine whether these genes are phenotypically expressed by determining the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values. In most cases, Enterococcus faecium strains were isolated from the preparations, and Lactobacillus plantarum, Pediococcus pentasaccus and Pediococcus acidilactici strains were also successfully identified. In total, 19 ARGs were identified, 11 of which were found on plasmids (57.9%), increasing the chances of gene mobility. For the APH(3')-Ia gene (aminoglycosides; enzymatic inactivation) and the tetS gene (tetracyclines; target protection), they were identified as mobile genetic elements (MGEs) and were therefore transferable genes. The presence of resistance genes for aminoglycosides, phenicols, fluoroquinolones and diaminopyrimidines supported the phenotypic expression of resistance. Most ARGs (15) were detected in Pro-pet paste, but no genes responsible for resistance were found in the Canius formulation. Based on our results, Enterococcus faecium carried the highest number of resistance genes among the probiotic strains, which is supported by the literature. We described an ARG of Lactobacillus plantarum origin (efmA) as an event responsible for resistance to macrolides and fluoroquinolones. In conclusion, our results are in several cases in agreement with those reported by others in the literature, but in some cases, we have also shown different or new results. The high prevalence of genes on plasmids and the demonstration of mobility support the need to screen probiotic products not only for food-producing animals for active substances of public health concern, but also to regulate the performance of such tests for probiotic products intended for companion animals. In the future, a novel approach to the safety of probiotics should be considered. List of lectures |