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Research Article


Multidrug resistance and biofilm-forming ability of Escherichia coli isolated from free-range chicken meat in restaurants in Petrolina, Pernambuco, Brazil

Carla Maria Do Carmo Resende Martins, Daniele Rayssa Cavalcanti De Sá, Marlos Gomes Martins, Maria Antônia Sampaio De Sousa, Amanda Daiane Da Silva Bezerra, Matheus Rodrigues De Souza, Beatriz Nascimento Araújo, Danillo Sales Rosa, Gisele Veneroni Gouveia, Mateus Matiuzzi Da Costa, Rafael Torres De Souza Rodrigues.


Abstract
Background:
Although free-range chicken meat is widely consumed in Brazil, it may pose a public health risk due to contamination with pathogenic and antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, such as Escherichia coli (E. coli).

Aim:
This study aimed to investigate the occurrence of Escherichia coli, antimicrobial resistance, and biofilm formation in free-range chicken meat samples collected from restaurants in Petrolina, Pernambuco, Brazil.

Methods:
Microbiological and molecular methods were used to analyze 40 samples collected from eight restaurants to detect E. coli, evaluate antimicrobial resistance profiles, assess biofilm formation, and identify the presence of resistance genes.

Results:
The overall frequency of E. coli infection was 57.5%. All bacterial strains (100%) were resistant to at least one antimicrobial agent, and 78.2% (18/23) were classified as MDR, showing resistance to three or more classes of antibiotics, with the highest rates observed for ciprofloxacin and tetracycline. Among the detected resistance genes, the blaTEM gene had the highest prevalence (17.4%), followed by blaCTX-M1 (4.3%), while tetA and qnrS were not detected. A discrepancy was observed between high phenotypic resistance and low detection of resistance genes, suggesting the involvement of other mechanisms. In addition, 95.5% of the strains were classified as biofilm producers, although most exhibited weak biofilm formation.

Conclusion:
This study confirms the presence of multidrug-resistant E. coli strains in food served at restaurants, highlighting the risk of transmission of resistant bacteria to humans through the consumption of contaminated meat and reinforcing the need for continuous monitoring of food safety.

Key words: Biofilm; Escherichia coli; Poultry meat; Resistance genes.


 
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How to Cite this Article
Pubmed Style

Martins CMDCR, Sá DRCD, Martins MG, Sousa MASD, Bezerra ADDS, Souza MRD, Araújo BN, Rosa DS, Gouveia GV, Costa MMD, Rodrigues RTDS. Multidrug resistance and biofilm-forming ability of Escherichia coli isolated from free-range chicken meat in restaurants in Petrolina, Pernambuco, Brazil. Open Vet. J.. 2026; 16(1): 616-625. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i1.57

Web Style

Martins CMDCR, Sá DRCD, Martins MG, Sousa MASD, Bezerra ADDS, Souza MRD, Araújo BN, Rosa DS, Gouveia GV, Costa MMD, Rodrigues RTDS. Multidrug resistance and biofilm-forming ability of Escherichia coli isolated from free-range chicken meat in restaurants in Petrolina, Pernambuco, Brazil. https://www.openveterinaryjournal.com/?mno=275581 [Access: February 04, 2026]. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i1.57

AMA (American Medical Association) Style

Martins CMDCR, Sá DRCD, Martins MG, Sousa MASD, Bezerra ADDS, Souza MRD, Araújo BN, Rosa DS, Gouveia GV, Costa MMD, Rodrigues RTDS. Multidrug resistance and biofilm-forming ability of Escherichia coli isolated from free-range chicken meat in restaurants in Petrolina, Pernambuco, Brazil. Open Vet. J.. 2026; 16(1): 616-625. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i1.57


Vancouver/ICMJE Style

Martins CMDCR, Sá DRCD, Martins MG, Sousa MASD, Bezerra ADDS, Souza MRD, Araújo BN, Rosa DS, Gouveia GV, Costa MMD, Rodrigues RTDS. Multidrug resistance and biofilm-forming ability of Escherichia coli isolated from free-range chicken meat in restaurants in Petrolina, Pernambuco, Brazil. Open Vet. J.. (2026), [cited February 04, 2026]; 16(1): 616-625. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i1.57


Harvard Style

Martins, C. M. D. C. R., Sá, . D. R. C. D., Martins, . M. G., Sousa, . M. A. S. D., Bezerra, . A. D. D. S., Souza, . M. R. D., Araújo, . B. N., Rosa, . D. S., Gouveia, . G. V., Costa, . M. M. D. & Rodrigues, . R. T. D. S. (2026) Multidrug resistance and biofilm-forming ability of Escherichia coli isolated from free-range chicken meat in restaurants in Petrolina, Pernambuco, Brazil. Open Vet. J., 16 (1), 616-625. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i1.57


Turabian Style

Martins, Carla Maria Do Carmo Resende, Daniele Rayssa Cavalcanti De Sá, Marlos Gomes Martins, Maria Antônia Sampaio De Sousa, Amanda Daiane Da Silva Bezerra, Matheus Rodrigues De Souza, Beatriz Nascimento Araújo, Danillo Sales Rosa, Gisele Veneroni Gouveia, Mateus Matiuzzi Da Costa, and Rafael Torres De Souza Rodrigues. 2026. Multidrug resistance and biofilm-forming ability of Escherichia coli isolated from free-range chicken meat in restaurants in Petrolina, Pernambuco, Brazil. Open Veterinary Journal, 16 (1), 616-625. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i1.57


Chicago Style

Martins, Carla Maria Do Carmo Resende, Daniele Rayssa Cavalcanti De Sá, Marlos Gomes Martins, Maria Antônia Sampaio De Sousa, Amanda Daiane Da Silva Bezerra, Matheus Rodrigues De Souza, Beatriz Nascimento Araújo, Danillo Sales Rosa, Gisele Veneroni Gouveia, Mateus Matiuzzi Da Costa, and Rafael Torres De Souza Rodrigues. "Multidrug resistance and biofilm-forming ability of Escherichia coli isolated from free-range chicken meat in restaurants in Petrolina, Pernambuco, Brazil." Open Veterinary Journal 16 (2026), 616-625. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i1.57


MLA (The Modern Language Association) Style

Martins, Carla Maria Do Carmo Resende, Daniele Rayssa Cavalcanti De Sá, Marlos Gomes Martins, Maria Antônia Sampaio De Sousa, Amanda Daiane Da Silva Bezerra, Matheus Rodrigues De Souza, Beatriz Nascimento Araújo, Danillo Sales Rosa, Gisele Veneroni Gouveia, Mateus Matiuzzi Da Costa, and Rafael Torres De Souza Rodrigues. "Multidrug resistance and biofilm-forming ability of Escherichia coli isolated from free-range chicken meat in restaurants in Petrolina, Pernambuco, Brazil." Open Veterinary Journal 16.1 (2026), 616-625. Print. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i1.57


APA (American Psychological Association) Style

Martins, C. M. D. C. R., Sá, . D. R. C. D., Martins, . M. G., Sousa, . M. A. S. D., Bezerra, . A. D. D. S., Souza, . M. R. D., Araújo, . B. N., Rosa, . D. S., Gouveia, . G. V., Costa, . M. M. D. & Rodrigues, . R. T. D. S. (2026) Multidrug resistance and biofilm-forming ability of Escherichia coli isolated from free-range chicken meat in restaurants in Petrolina, Pernambuco, Brazil. Open Veterinary Journal, 16 (1), 616-625. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i1.57


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