ISSN: 0973-7510

E-ISSN: 2581-690X

Research Article | Open Access
Yaduveer Singh1, Bincy Joseph1 , Shivasharanappa Nayakvadi2, Sandeep Kumar Sharma1, Surendra Singh Shekhawat3, Taruna Bhati1, Archana Fozdar4, Rama Kumari1 and Vijay Kumar Meena1

1Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Post Graduate Institute of Veterinary Education and Research (PGIVER), Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.
2ICAR-National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
3Department of Veterinary Public Health and Epidemiology, Post Graduate Institute of Veterinary Education and Research (PGIVER), Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.
4Department of Livestock Production Management, Post Graduate Institute of Veterinary Education and Research (PGIVER), Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.
Article Number: 11039 | © The Author(s). 2026
J Pure Appl Microbiol. 2026;20(3):2248-2260. https://doi.org/10.22207/JPAM.20.3.15
Received: 10 October 2025 | Accepted: 27 April 2026 | Published online: 01 August 2026
Issue online: September 2026
Abstract

Klebsiella pneumoniae, a critical pathogen with significant implications for global antimicrobial resistance (AMR), is a major threat to public health, particularly in regions with intensive human–animal–environment interfaces. This study investigated the AMR patterns of K. pneumoniae isolates from human–camel–environment interactions in Rajasthan, India, a region where camels are economically significant. A total of 138 samples were collected from camel populations, animal handlers, and their surrounding environments in the districts of Ajmer and Jaipur. Thirty-three isolates were confirmed to be Klebsiella pneumoniae by microbiological and molecular methods, as well as by using BD Phoenix M50. Antibiotic resistance was assessed using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion and BD Phoenix M50 AST methods. The study revealed that 66.66% of the isolates were multidrug-resistant (MDR), with the most pronounced resistance noted against ciprofloxacin (72.72%), as the organism exhibits intrinsic resistance to narrow-spectrum penicillins. Conversely, sulfafurazole, tetracycline, and trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole exhibited 100% sensitivity. A significant proportion of the isolates (30.30%) showed a multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index greater than 0.2, indicating a high risk of spreading resistance. Thirty-three percent of the isolates exhibited phenotypic evidence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) production, with the predominant ESBL gene identified as blaTEM. Notably, one isolate demonstrated phenotypic colistin resistance, representing the first such report in a camel ecosystem in India. However, mcr-1, which is commonly associated with colistin resistance, was not detected in the present study. The genetic mechanism underlying colistin resistance remains unclear. Additionally, none of the isolates possessed carbapenem resistance genes. These findings underscore the critical need for robust and comprehensive AMR surveillance in camel ecosystems to protect public health, food safety, and the livelihoods of camel-dependent communities.

Keywords

Camel ecosystem, Colistin resistance, ESBL, MDR, One Health Approach

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© The Author(s) 2026. Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License which permits unrestricted use, sharing, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.