Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Autochthonous AquaticVibrio choleraein Haiti.
We investigated the antimicrobial susceptibility of 50 environmental isolates ofVibrio choleraenon-O1/non-O139 collected in surface waters in Haiti in July 2012, during an active cholera outbreak. A panel of 16 antibiotics was tested on the isolates using the disk diffusion method and PCR detection of seven resistance-associated genes (strA/B, sul1/2, ermA/B, andmefA). All isolates were susceptible to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, cefotaxime, imipenem, ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, amikacin, and gentamicin. Nearly a quarter (22.0%) of the isolates were susceptible to all 16 antimicrobials tested and only 8.0% of the isolates (n= 4) were multidrug-resistant. The highest proportions of resistant isolates were observed for sulfonamide (70.0%), amoxicillin (12.0%), and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (10.0%). One strain was resistant to erythromycin and one to doxycycline, two antibiotics used to treat cholera in Haiti. Among the 50 isolates, 78% possessed at least two resistance-associated genes, and the genessul1, ermA, andstrB were detected in all four multidrug-resistant isolates. Our results clearly indicate that the autochthonous population ofV. choleraenon-O1/non-O139 found in surface waters in Haiti shows antimicrobial patterns different from that of the outbreak strain. The presence in the Haitian aquatic environment ofV. choleraenon-O1/non-O139 with reduced susceptibility or resistance to antibiotics used in human medicine may constitute a mild public health threat.
Mycoplasmology-Bacteriology Unit, Ploufragan-Plouzané Laboratory, French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & SafetyPloufragan, France; Vie-Agro-Santé, Bretagne-Loire UniversityRennes, France.
Sandrine
S
Baron
Mycoplasmology-Bacteriology Unit, Ploufragan-Plouzané Laboratory, French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & SafetyPloufragan, France; Vie-Agro-Santé, Bretagne-Loire UniversityRennes, France.
Jean
J
Lesne
Mycoplasmology-Bacteriology Unit, Ploufragan-Plouzané Laboratory, French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & SafetyPloufragan, France; Vie-Agro-Santé, Bretagne-Loire UniversityRennes, France.
Eric
E
Jouy
Mycoplasmology-Bacteriology Unit, Ploufragan-Plouzané Laboratory, French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & SafetyPloufragan, France; Vie-Agro-Santé, Bretagne-Loire UniversityRennes, France.
Emeline
E
Larvor
Mycoplasmology-Bacteriology Unit, Ploufragan-Plouzané Laboratory, French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & SafetyPloufragan, France; Vie-Agro-Santé, Bretagne-Loire UniversityRennes, France.
Isabelle
I
Kempf
National Public Health Laboratory, Ministry of Public Health and Population Port au Prince, Haiti.
Jacques
J
Boncy
IT-TPT UMR MD3, Aix-Marseille University Marseille, France.
Stanilas
S
Rebaudet
IT-TPT UMR MD3, Aix-Marseille University Marseille, France.
Renaud
R
Piarroux
Haiti; Vibrio cholerae non-O1/non-O139; antimicrobial resistance; aquatic environment; cholera