title: Characterization of antimicrobial resistance and class 1 integrons found in Escherichia coli isolates from human stools and drinking water sources in Jordan.
abstract: This study demonstrates that Escherichia coli isolates from human stools showed mostly higher minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and significant rates of resistance (32%-67%, P<0.05) than Escherichia coli water isolates in Jordan, as follows: ampicillin (67% vs 28%), trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (67% vs 28%) nalidixic acid (63% vs 20%), cefuroxime (32% vs 4%), gentamicin (32% vs 17%), norfloxacin (32% vs 12%) and tetracycline (33% vs 16%). The prevalence of integron integrase genes (Intl1) in these isolates was also significantly higher in patients' stools (67%, P <0.05) than in water (36%), but the distribution of Sul 1/Sul 2 or both in association with postive Intl1 and resistance to ampicillin and sulfamethoxazole was not significantly higher (74% versus 62%, P <0.05) in isolates from stool and water. Plasmid profiles of representative multiresistant E. coli isolates from both sources indicated the presence of two common plasmids (49,25 kb) in 11/12 (91.6%), and all E. coli transconjugants were positive for class 1 integron markers (Intl 1, Sul 1 and Sul2) and mostly associated with three transferable drug-resistant determinants to ampicillin, sulfamethoxazole and tetracycline. These results indicate that class 1 integrons with conjugative R-plasmids are common and transferable among commensal antimicrobial multiresistant E. coli isolated from human feces and drinking water sources in Jordan.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology-Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan. ashehabi@ju.edu.jo
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Shehabi
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Odeh
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fayyad
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D005787:Gene Frequency; D006801:Humans; D032023:Integrons / Q000502:physiology*; D007597:Jordan; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D014871:Water Microbiology; D014881:Water Supply / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; C091882:Sul1 protein, E coli; C491369:Sul2 protein, bacteria