Identification and Resistance of Enterococcus faecium Isolated from Ball Python (Python regius) towards Several Antibiotics

Abstract

The increasing popularity of keeping exotic animals such as ball pythons (Python regius) has led to the increase in human-animal contact, potentially facilitating the transmission of microorganisms. Enterococcus spp. are a common commensal bacterium in the digestive tracts of animals and can act as opportunistic pathogens and harbour multidrug-resistance (MDR) genes. This research aims to identify Enterococcus faecium isolated from ball pythons and their resistance towards antibiotics. Identification was done on eight bacterial isolates using macroscopic, microscopic and biochemical test methods. An antibiotic susceptibility test against seven antibiotics according to Kirby-Bauer’s disc diffusion method was conducted. A total of eight isolates were identified as Enterococcus faecium. A total of six out of eight isolates were considered to be multi-drug resistant. The results of E. faecium isolated in this research showed high resistance towards nalidixic acid, erythromycin, gentamicin and remain generally susceptible towards tetracycline, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and ampicillin in an in vitro setting.

Meningkatnya popularitas pemeliharaan hewan eksotis seperti ball python (Python regius) telah menyebabkan peningkatan kontak antara manusia dan hewan, yang berpotensi memfasilitasi penularan mikroorganisme. Enterococcus spp. adalah bakteri komensal umum dalam saluran pencernaan hewan dan dapat bertindak sebagai patogen oportunis serta membawa gen multidrug-resistance (MDR). Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengidentifikasi Enterococcus faecium yang diisolasi dari ball python dan resistansinya terhadap antibiotik. Identifikasi dilakukan pada delapan isolat bakteri menggunakan metode uji makroskopis, mikroskopis, dan biokimia. Uji kepekaan antibiotik terhadap tujuh antibiotik dilakukan menurut metode difusi cakram Kirby-Bauer. Teridentifikasi delapan isolat sebagai Enterococcus faecium. Sejumlah enam dari delapan isolat menunjukkan hasil multi-resistan. Hasil E. faecium yang diisolasi dalam penelitian ini menunjukkan resistansi tinggi terhadap asam nalidiksat, eritromisin, gentamisin, dan cenderung sensitif terhadap tetrasiklin, trimetoprim-sulfametoksazol, dan ampisilin dalam lingkungan in vitro.