Incidence of lysogeny, colicinogeny, and drug resistance in enterobacteria isolated from sewage and from rectum of humans and some domesticated species

Abstract

Enterobacteria were isolated by streaking swabs of sewage and rectal swabs from human volunteers from domesticated animals. Thirty strains of human origin were identified as Escherichia coli. Out of 1,367 rectal isolates of animal origin, 21% were lysogenic (phi+), 29% were colicinogenic (col+), and 7% were col+ phi+. Out of 85 rectal samples more than 60% harbored variable numbers of col+ or phi+ bacteria. Lysogens harboring homoimmune prophages were detectable in six out of eight human subjects in sequential samples taken at weekly intervals. Chickens in Hong Kong are fed on antibiotic-containing feeds; the avian isolates contained the highest frequency (98%) of drug-resistant bacteria, whereas only 39% of the bovine and 61% of the human isolates were drug resistant. Transmissible drug resistance was demonstrable in sewage isolates and those from animal sources; the highest frequency (58%) of resistance donors was shown by the avian isolates, and the lowest (9%) was shown by the bovine isolates. Unselected marker analysis has shown that a vast majority of multiply resistant donors of diverse origins are able to transmit multiple resistance.