title: Impact of Some Ecological Factors on Fecal Contamination of Drinking Water by Diarrheagenic Antibiotic-ResistantEscherichia coliin Zagazig City, Egypt.
abstract: Fecal contamination of drinking water is a major health problem which accounts for many cases of diarrhea mainly in infants and foreigners. This contamination is a complex interaction of many parameters. Antibiotic resistance among bacterial isolates complicates the problem. The study was done to identify fecal contamination of drinking water by Diarrheagenic Antibiotic-ResistantEscherichia coliin Zagazig city and to trace reasons for such contamination, three hundred potable water samples were investigated forE. coliexistence. Locations ofE. colipositive samples were investigated in relation to population density, water source, and type of water pipe. SixteenE. colistrains were isolated. Antibiotic sensitivity was done and enterotoxigenic, enteropathogenic, and enterohaemorrhagic virulence genes were investigated by PCR. Probability of fecal contamination correlated with higher population density, with increased distance from Zagazig water plant, and with asbestos cement water pipes. Resistance to at least one antimicrobial drug was found in all isolates. Virulence genes were detected in a rate of 26.27%, 13.13%, 20%, 6.67%, and 33.33% for LT, ST, stx1, stx2, and eae genes, respectively. This relatively high frequency of fecal contamination points towards the high risk of developing diarrhea by antibiotic resistant DEC in low socioeconomic communities particularly with old fashion distribution systems.
authors.affiliation: Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt.
authors.forename: Ahmed Elsadek
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-0497-4908
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Fakhr
authors.affiliation: Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt.
authors.forename: Maha Kamal
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Gohar
authors.affiliation: Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt.
authors.forename: Amal Hassan
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Atta