ESBL Producing Escherichia coli in Faecal Sludge Treatment Plants: An Invisible Threat to Public Health in Rohingya Camps, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh

Abstract

Introduction: Human faecal sludge contains diverse harmful microorganisms, making it hazardous to the environment and public health if it is discharged untreated. Faecal sludge is one of the major sources of E. coli that can produce extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs).Objective: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and molecular characterization of ESBL-producing E. coli in faecal sludge samples collected from faecal sludge treatment plants (FSTPs) in Rohingya camps, Bangladesh.Methods: ESBL producing E. coli were screened by cultural as well as molecular methods and further characterized for their major ESBL genes, plasmid profiles, pathotypes, antibiotic resistance patterns, conjugation ability, and genetic similarity.Results: Of 296 isolates, 180 were phenotypically positive for ESBL. All the isolates, except one, contained at least one ESBL gene that was tested (blaCTX−M−1, blaCTX−M−2, blaCTX−M−8, blaCTX−M−9, blaCTX−M−15, blaCTX−M−25, blaTEM, and blaSHV). From plasmid profiling, it was observed that plasmids of 1–211 MDa were found in 84% (151/180) of the isolates. Besides, 13% (24/180) of the isolates possessed diarrhoeagenic virulence genes. From the remaining isolates, around 51% (79/156) harbored at least one virulence gene that is associated with the extraintestinal pathogenicity of E. coli. Moreover, 4% (3/156) of the isolates were detected to be potential extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC) strains. Additionally, all the diarrhoeagenic and ExPEC strains showed resistance to three or more antibiotic groups which indicate their multidrug-resistant potential. ERIC-PCR differentiated these pathogenic isolates into seven clusters. In addition to this, 16 out of 35 tested isolates transferred plasmids of 32–112 MDa to E. coli J53 recipient strain.Conclusion: The present study implies that the faecal sludge samples examined here could be a potential origin for spreading MDR pathogenic ESBL-producing E. coli. The exposure of Rohingya individuals, living in overcrowded camps, to these organisms poses a severe threat to their health.

Diarrhoeagenic E. coli occurrence and antimicrobial resistance of Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamases isolated from diarrhoea patients attending health facilities in Accra, Ghana

“…It was solely detected in an earlier study conducted in Ghana [ 19 ], inconsistent with its common coexistence with CTX-M gene in many studies reported elsewhere [ 25 , 36 , 40 ]. Only few occurrence of the SHV gene (4/20) was recovered which was consistent with diarrhoeal studies carried out elsewhere despite the high concurrence of CTX-M and TEM genes [ 30 , 37 , 40 , 44 ].…”

Genomic Characterization of International High-Risk Clone ST410 Escherichia coli Co-Harboring ESBL-Encoding Genes and blaNDM-5 on IncFIA/IncFIB/IncFII/IncQ1 Multireplicon Plasmid and Carrying a Chromosome-Borne blaCMY-2 from Egypt

“…The antibiotic susceptibility patterns of donors and transconjugants displayed partial similarity, except for the lack of transfer of resistance to gentamicin in EC14149 and EC14437, to aztreonam in EC14437, to doxycycline in EC14437, to amoxycillin/clavulanate in EC11994, to sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim in EC14149 and EC11994, and to cefoxitin in EC14437. This suggests that the resistance determinants for these antibiotics in the mentioned isolates might be located on non-transferable plasmids or on plasmids of small sizes (<30 kb), as described previously [ 37 ]. The mobilization of bla SHV , bla TEM , and bla CTX-M to transconjugants, confirmed by PCR, illustrates the position of these genes on conjugative plasmids, a fact that increases the risk of horizontal gene transfer to other gram-negative bacteria and raises the clinical challenges in tailoring an effective therapy to treat infections caused by these isolates.…”

Multidrug-resistant extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli from farm produce and agricultural environments in Edo State, Nigeria

“…Fecal E. coli can occur in the soil, water and on plants. ESBL-producing pathotypes of E. coli have also been recovered in the environment [16][17][18]. Since vegetables are usually eaten raw, ingesting ESBL-producing E. coli that can reach the gastrointestinal tract poses a potential public health risk [6,14,19].…”