Antibiotic Resistance in an Indian Rural Community: A ‘One-Health’ Observational Study on Commensal Coliform from Humans, Animals, and Water

Abstract

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are an escalating grim menace to global public health. Our aim is to phenotype and genotype antibiotic-resistant commensal Escherichia coli (E. coli) from humans, animals, and water from the same community with a ‘one-health’ approach. The samples were collected from a village belonging to demographic surveillance site of Ruxmaniben Deepchand (R.D.) Gardi Medical College Ujjain, Central India. Commensal coliforms from stool samples from children aged 1–3 years and their environment (animals, drinking water from children's households, common source- and waste-water) were studied for antibiotic susceptibility and plasmid-encoded resistance genes. E. coli isolates from human (n = 127), animal (n = 21), waste- (n = 12), source- (n = 10), and household drinking water (n = 122) carried 70%, 29%, 41%, 30%, and 30% multi-drug resistance, respectively. Extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producers were 57% in human and 23% in environmental isolates. Co-resistance was frequent in penicillin, cephalosporin, and quinolone. Antibiotic-resistance genes blaCTX-M-9 and qnrS were most frequent. Group D-type isolates with resistance genes were mainly from humans and wastewater. Colistin resistance, or the mcr-1 gene, was not detected. The frequency of resistance, co-resistance, and resistant genes are high and similar in coliforms from humans and their environment. This emphasizes the need to mitigate antibiotic resistance with a ‘one-health’ approach.

Mass bathing events in River Kshipra, Central India- influence on the water quality and the antibiotic susceptibility pattern of commensal E.coli

“…The frequent use of quinolones group of antibiotics for treatment of enteric infections caused by gram-negative bacteria, could explain the high (25-40%), resistance of detected MDR E.coli against quinolones. We have previously shown that the frequency of resistance, co-resistance and resistance genes are high and similar in coliforms from humans and their environment [26,32]. Also, as previously seen the ESBL-producing E. coli isolates from river-water and -sediment belonged to phylogenetic groups A and B1 to which commensal E. coli are classified [26,32,33].…”

“…We have previously shown that the frequency of resistance, co-resistance and resistance genes are high and similar in coliforms from humans and their environment [26,32]. Also, as previously seen the ESBL-producing E. coli isolates from river-water and -sediment belonged to phylogenetic groups A and B1 to which commensal E. coli are classified [26,32,33]. Thus, the emergence of MDR in E. coli and the other commensal coliform may also pose a risk for the emergence of new multi resistant pathogen.…”

The Spectre of Superbugs: Waste, Structural Violence and Antimicrobial Resistance in India

“…It is estimated over 100 million Indian residents carry NDM-1 bacteria as normal gut flora (Walsh and Toleman 2012), which is harmless in the gut but can be lethal if they spread to other parts of the body and cause infection. If such figures are alarming, equally worrying is that even when we know some of the key drivers behind antibiotics resistance, what remains unclear are the complex transmission 'routes of resistant bacteria, as well as resistance genes and the impact of antibioticselective pressures in various reservoirs (animals, humans, and the environment)' (Purohit et al 2017). More studies are required to gain a fuller understanding of how resistant bacteria and antibiotics pass on and across different environments (e.g., soils, ponds, ground water) and are transferred between people and animals.…”

Detection of antibiotic resistant bacteria and sterol concentration in hand dug wells cited near pit latrine in Southwestern Nigeria

“…The use of antibiotics is not only limited to clinical uses presently; large amount of it is used in Agriculture, Food industries, and Aquaculture (Van Boeckel et al, 2015). The environmental spread of unused antibiotics and their incomplete metabolism in the environment has elicited a bacterial adaptation response to develop antibiotic resistance and genes (Purohit et al, 2017). Antibiotics resistance in wastewater, surface water and drinking water has been documented (Purohit et al, 2017).…”

“…The environmental spread of unused antibiotics and their incomplete metabolism in the environment has elicited a bacterial adaptation response to develop antibiotic resistance and genes (Purohit et al, 2017). Antibiotics resistance in wastewater, surface water and drinking water has been documented (Purohit et al, 2017). The problem of antibiotic resistant bacteria is a global phenomenon in drinking water, rivers, lakes, groundwater and waste water (Mulamattathil et al, 2014).…”