Within the framework of the National Laboratory for Infectious Animal Diseases, Antimicrobial Resistance, Veterinary Public Health and Food Chain Safety project, we aimed to assess the antimicrobial status of large poultry flocks in Hungary. The main focus was on domestic flocks of chickens and turkeys. Within this framework, respiratory tract and cloacal swab samples are collected from 3 to 3 poultry holdings per region in seven regions of Hungary. In our microbiological laboratory, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus spp., Enterococcus spp., Salmonella spp. and Clostridium perfringens species are isolated and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of each strain is determined.

The project consists of the following sub-projects:

1. Determination of national and regional resistance prevalence, MIC₅₀ and MIC₉₀ values per animal species and bacterial species, using minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) determination, for an average of 10-15 active substances.
2. Determination of an epidemiological cut-off value (ECOFF) per animal species and bacterial species, averaged over 10-15 active substances.
3. Analysis of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) production in Escherichia coli strains and metagenomic studies using next-generation sequencing, topographic occurrence of resistance genes (SHV, TEM, CTX-M) responsible for ESBL production.
4. Selection of multi-drug resistant (MDR) Enterococcus strains, susceptibility testing for antibiotic agents of public health relevance (in particular vancomycin and linezolid) and metagenomic studies using new generation sequencing.
5. Determination of MIC levels of pathogenic agents isolated from clinical cases in domestic flocks of domestic fowl and turkeys.
6. MIC determination of pathogens isolated from clinical cases in domestic waterfowl (domestic ducks, domestic geese) colonies.
7. National and regional comparison of human resistance data with the results of susceptibility testing of pathogens isolated from healthy animals and clinical cases.
8. Determination of MIC values of bacteria isolated from domestic pigeons at national and regional level and ECOFF values of isolated Escherichia coli strains for an average of 10-15 active substances.