role of drinking water and gut flora in dissemination of multiple-antibiotic resistance

ABSTRACT

This work aimed at studying the antibiotic resistance pattern of the gut and drinking water E. coli. Stool samples from 205 primary school children were cultured for isolation of gut E. coli. Drinking water samples from household taps, public taps and storage pots [Zeer] were collected and examined for the presence of E. coli using the standard membrane filter technique. All the isolated E. coli were tested for their susceptibility to the following antibiotics Ampicillin, sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, gentamicin, chloramphenicol, tetracycline, nalidixic acid, nitrofurantoin, ceftriaxone and ciprofloxacin. Out of the stool isolated E. coli, 78.5% were MAR. E. coli was isolated from 61.3% of the stored Zeer water of which the majority were MAR. The resistance was high to the community-used antibiotics, while the hospital-used agents still retained their efficacy