Extraintestinal Pathogenic Escherichia coli and Antimicrobial Drug Resistance in a Maharashtrian Drinking Water System

Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2019 May;100(5):1101-1104. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.18-0542.

Abstract

Although access to piped drinking water continues to increase globally, information on the prevalence and clonal composition of coliforms found in piped water systems in low-resource settings remains limited. From June to July 2016, we examined Escherichia coli isolates in domestic water from the distribution system in Alibag, a small town in India. We analyzed the isolates for drug resistance and genotyped them by multilocus sequence typing. Of 147 water samples, 51 contained coliforms, and 19 (37%) of the 51 were biochemically confirmed to contain E. coli. These samples contained 104 E. coli isolates-all resistant to ampicillin. Resistance to ceftazidime was observed in 52 (50%) isolates, cefotaxime in 59 (57%), sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim in 46 (44%), ciprofloxacin in 30 (29%), and gentamicin in two (2%). Thirty-eight (36%) belonged to sequence types recognized as extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC); 19 (50%) of these 38 ExPEC belonged to known uropathogenic E. coli lineages. This exploratory field research shows the extent to which "improved" drinking water is a potential source of E. coli strains capable of causing extraintestinal infections.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology*
  • Bacterial Typing Techniques
  • Drinking Water / microbiology*
  • Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial*
  • Extraintestinal Pathogenic Escherichia coli / drug effects*
  • Extraintestinal Pathogenic Escherichia coli / genetics
  • Extraintestinal Pathogenic Escherichia coli / isolation & purification*
  • Genotype
  • India
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Multilocus Sequence Typing
  • Virulence
  • Virulence Factors

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Drinking Water
  • Virulence Factors