Incidence of antimicrobial-resistance genes and integrons in antibiotic-resistant bacteria isolated from eels and aquaculture ponds

Dis Aquat Organ. 2016 Jul 7;120(2):115-23. doi: 10.3354/dao03013.

Abstract

The overuse of antimicrobials in aquaculture has promoted the selection of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. Here we investigated the abundance of antimicrobial-resistance genes and integrons in 108 strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria isolated from eels and aquaculture ponds in China. Conventional PCR was implemented to examine common antibiotic-resistance genes, integrons, and their gene cassette arrays. The results showed that the antibiotic-resistance genes blaTEM, tetC, sulI, aadA, floR, and qnrB were detected at high percentages, as were a number of other resistance genes. Class I integrons were present in 79.63% of the strains, and 10 out of 108 isolates carried class II integrons. Class III integrons were not detected. Three strains carried both class I and class II integrons, and 73.26% of the class I integron-positive isolates contained the qacEΔ1/sul1 gene. Fourteen types of integron cassette arrays were found among class I integron-positive isolates. A new array, dfrB4-catB3-blaOXA-10-aadA1, was discovered in this study. The gene cassette array dfrA12-orfF-aadA2 was the most widely distributed. In summary, 23 different gene cassettes encoding resistance to 8 classes of antibiotics were identified in the class I integrons, and the main cassettes contained genes encoding resistance to aminoglycosides (aad) and trimethoprim (dfr). All class II integron-positive strains had only a single gene cassette array, viz. dfrA1-catB2-sat2-aadA1. High levels of antimicrobial-resistance genes and integrons in eels and auqauculture ponds suggest that the overuse of antimicrobials should be strictly controlled and that the levels of bacterial antimicrobial-resistance genes in aquaculture should be monitored.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Anguilla / microbiology*
  • Animals
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology*
  • Aquaculture*
  • Bacteria / classification
  • Bacteria / drug effects*
  • Bacterial Infections / microbiology
  • Bacterial Infections / veterinary
  • Drug Resistance, Bacterial*
  • Fish Diseases / microbiology
  • Ponds / microbiology*
  • Water Microbiology

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents