Division 4.1 Method for detection of ESBL- or AmpC- or carbapenemase-producing E. coli in broilers, fattening turkeys, fattening pigs, bovines under one year of age and fresh meat of broilers, pig meat and bovine meat

For the purpose of estimating the proportion of samples containing ESBL- or AmpC- or carbapenemase-producing E. coli amongst the caecal samples collected from broilers, fattening turkeys, fattening pigs, bovines under one year of age, fresh meat of broilers, pig meat and bovine meat in accordance with point 1(d) of this Part, the following method shall apply.

For the detection of ESBL- or AmpC-producing E. coli the method shall start by a pre-enrichment step, followed by inoculation on McConkey agar containing a third generation cephalosporin in a selective concentration according to the most recent version of the detailed protocol for standardisation of the European Union Reference Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistance^f1. The microbial species E. coli shall be identified using an appropriated method.

The F1appropriate authority may decide, based on the epidemiological circumstances, to test in parallel an additional selective plate that inhibits for the growth of AmpC-producing E. coli to facilitate the specific detection of ESBL-producing E. coli. When using this possibility, the results of the additional selective plate that inhibits for growth of AmpC-producing E. coli shall be kept separately when reported in accordance with point 2 of Part B.

F2The appropriate authority may decide to detect for carbapenemase-producing micro-organisms by using selective pre-enrichment and subsequent selective plating on carbapenem-containing media, according to the most recent version of the detailed protocol for standardisation of the European Union Reference Laboratory for AMR^f2.

One presumptive ESBL- or AmpC- or carbapenemase-producing E. coli isolate obtained from each positive caecal sample and meat sample shall be tested on the first panel of antimicrobials in accordance with Table 1 and further submitted to extended susceptibility testing as set out in point 4.2 if they are resistant to cefotaxime or ceftazidime or meropenem based on the interpretative criteria (epidemiological cut-off values) listed in Table 1.