Association between the Phenotypes and Genotypes of Antimicrobial Resistance in Haemophilus parasuis Isolates from Swine in Quang Binh and Thua Thien Hue Provinces, Vietnam

Haemophilus parasuis (H. parasuis) is one of the bacterial pathogens of great concern as it causes huge economic losses to the swine industry worldwide. One of the reasons why the control of H. parasuis has failed is the increase in antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The country of Vietnam has the second-largest pig production in Asia. However, there is still a lack of data about the AMR prevalence of H. parasuis in Vietnam. The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence of AMR and analyze the association between AMR and AMR genes (ARGs). The H. parasuis strains used in this research were isolated from swine in the Quang Binh and Thua Thien Hue Provinces, Central Vietnam, as reported in our previous study. All of the strains were tested for AMR against 25 antibacterial agents using the broth microdilution method and for the presence of ARGs using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. The tested strains were shown to have a high frequency of resistance to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (94.6%), followed by resistance to colistin, chloramphenicol, gentamicin, penicillin, lincomycin, and amoxicillin. The most prevalent ARGs in these strains were blaTEM-1 (94.6%), int (76.8%), gyrA (58.9%), and rmtD (50.0%). Cefuroxime, chloramphenicol, and tobramycin resistances were strongly correlated with the presence of the ARGs blaROB-1 (odds ratio (OR) = 26.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.7–255.7, p = 0.002), catl (OR = 25.1, 95% CI 2.4–258.9, p = 0.004), and strB (OR = 23.5, 95% CI 2.6–212.6, p = 0.001), respectively. This study reveals for the first time the current situation of H. parasuis AMR in Central Vietnam, which is helpful for the clinical control of this disease, as well as for the development of policies and clinical practice guidelines to reduce AMR in swine production in Central Vietnam.