Convergent acquisition of antibiotic resistance determinants amongst the Enterobacteriaceae isolates of the Mhlathuze River, KwaZulu-Natal (RSA)

Abstract

The Mhlathuze River has become a major reservoir for antibiotic-resistant microbes and a wide pool of antibiotic resistant genes with the environmental isolates exists in this water system. The ability of commensal organisms to carry resistant genes of clinical importance and their ability to transfer such genes to other bacteria are of greater concern than phenotypic measurements. Forty-three Enterobacteriaceae isolates, which were capable of resisting more than 4 different classes of antibiotics, were used for the molecular characterisation of antibiotic resistances. It was found that 58% of these multiple antibiotic-resistant isolates possess the Class 1 integron. Amongst these 25 isolates with positive detection of the Class 1 integron, the beta-lactamase gene ( pse) was the most common, being present in 44% of these integrons. The aminoglyco side-resistant gene was detected in 16% of these integrons and 24% of Class 1 integrons contained two genes coding for sulphonamide resistance and for quaternary ammonium compounds resistance.

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