Pharmaceutical disposal facilitates the mobilization of resistance determinants among microbiota of polluted environment.

The emergence of resistance on exposure to pharmaceuticals among microorganisms has raised serious concern in the therapeutic approach against infectious diseases. Effluents discharge from hospitals, industries, and urban settlements containing pharmaceuticals and other toxic compounds into the aquatic ecosystem selects bacterial population against them; thereby promotes acquisition and dissemination of resistant traits among the inhabitant microbiota. The present study was aimed to determine the prevalence and multidrug resistance pattern of Extended Spectrum ß-lactamase (ESBL) producing and non-producing bacterial isolates from the heavily polluted Delhi stretch of river Yamuna, India. Additionally, the role of abiotic factors in the dissemination of conjugative plasmids harbouring resistance genes was also studied using E. coli J53 as recipient and resistant E. coli isolates as donor strains. Of the 227 non-duplicate bacterial isolates, 60% (136) were identified as ESBL+ and 40% (91) as ESBL. ESBL+ isolates were found highly resistant to ß-lactam and non-ß-lactam classes of antibiotics compared with the ESBL- isolates. 68% of ESBL+ and 24% of ESBL- isolates showed an MAR index of ≥0.5. Surprisingly, multidrug resistance (MDR), extensively drug resistance (XDR), and pandrug resistance (PDR) phenotype were observed for 78.6%, 16.9%, and 0.7% of ESBL+ and 90%, 3%, and none for PDR among ESBL- isolates. Conjugation under different conditions showed a higher mobilization rate at neutral pH (7-7.5) for ESBL+ isolates. Conjugation frequency was maximum at 40 °C for the isolate E. coli MRB6 (4.1 × 10-5) and E. coli MRE32 (4.89 × 10-4) and at 35 °C for E. coli MRA11 (4.89 × 10-5). The transconjugants obtained were found tolerating different concentrations of mercuric chloride (0.0002-0.2 mg/L). Increased biofilm formation for ESBL+ isolates was observed on supplementing media with HgCl2 (2 µg/mL) either singly or in combination with CTX (10 µg/mL). The present study demonstrates that anthropogenically influenced aquatic environments act as a reservoir of MDR, XDR, and even PDR strains; thereby posing a potent public health risk.

Study of pandrug and heavy metal resistance among E. coli from anthropogenically influenced Delhi stretch of river Yamuna

Abstract Escalating burden of antibiotic resistance that has reached new heights present a grave concern to mankind. As the problem is no longer confined to clinics, we hereby report identification of a pandrug resistant Escherichia coli isolate from heavily polluted Delhi stretch of river Yamuna, India. E. coli MRC11 was found sensitive only to tobramycin against 21 antibiotics tested, with minimum inhibitory concentration values >256 µg/mL for amoxicillin, carbenicillin, aztreonam, ceftazidime and cefotaxime. Addition of certain heavy metals at higher concentrations were ineffective in increasing susceptibility of E. coli MRC11 to antibiotics. Withstanding sub-optimal concentration of cefotaxime (10 µg/mL) and mercuric chloride (2 µg/mL), and also resistance to their combinatorial use, indicates better adaptability in heavily polluted environment through clustering and expression of resistance genes. Interestingly, E. coli MRC11 harbours two different variants of blaTEM (blaTEM-116 and blaTEM-1 with and without extended-spectrum activity, respectively), in addition to mer operon (merB, merP and merT) genes. Studies employing conjugation, confirmed localization of blaTEM-116, merP and merT genes on the conjugative plasmid. Understanding potentialities of such isolates will help in determining risk factors attributing pandrug resistance and strengthening strategic development of new and effective antimicrobial agents.

Study of pandrug and heavy metal resistance among E. coli from anthropogenically influenced Delhi stretch of river Yamuna.

Escalating burden of antibiotic resistance that has reached new heights present a grave concern to mankind. As the problem is no longer confined to clinics, we hereby report identification of a pandrug resistant Escherichia coli isolate from heavily polluted Delhi stretch of river Yamuna, India. E. coli MRC11 was found sensitive only to tobramycin against 21 antibiotics tested, with minimum inhibitory concentration values >256µg/mL for amoxicillin, carbenicillin, aztreonam, ceftazidime and cefotaxime. Addition of certain heavy metals at higher concentrations were ineffective in increasing susceptibility of E. coli MRC11 to antibiotics. Withstanding sub-optimal concentration of cefotaxime (10µg/mL) and mercuric chloride (2µg/mL), and also resistance to their combinatorial use, indicates better adaptability in heavily polluted environment through clustering and expression of resistance genes. Interestingly, E. coli MRC11 harbours two different variants of blaTEM (blaTEM-116 and blaTEM-1 with and without extended-spectrum activity, respectively), in addition to mer operon (merB, merP and merT) genes. Studies employing conjugation, confirmed localization of blaTEM-116, merP and merT genes on the conjugative plasmid. Understanding potentialities of such isolates will help in determining risk factors attributing pandrug resistance and strengthening strategic development of new and effective antimicrobial agents.

Heavy Metals and Human Health: Mechanistic Insight into Toxicity and Counter Defense System of Antioxidants.

Heavy metals, which have widespread environmental distribution and originate from natural and anthropogenic sources, are common environmental pollutants. In recent decades, their contamination has increased dramatically because of continuous discharge in sewage and untreated industrial effluents. Because they are non-degradable, they persist in the environment; accordingly, they have received a great deal of attention owing to their potential health and environmental risks. Although the toxic effects of metals depend on the forms and routes of exposure, interruptions of intracellular homeostasis include damage to lipids, proteins, enzymes and DNA via the production of free radicals. Following exposure to heavy metals, their metabolism and subsequent excretion from the body depends on the presence of antioxidants (glutathione, α-tocopherol, ascorbate, etc.) associated with the quenching of free radicals by suspending the activity of enzymes (catalase, peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase). Therefore, this review was written to provide a deep understanding of the mechanisms involved in eliciting their toxicity in order to highlight the necessity for development of strategies to decrease exposure to these metals, as well as to identify substances that contribute significantly to overcome their hazardous effects within the body of living organisms.