Affiliation:
1. Biotech Institute, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Fuzhou 350003, China
2. Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
3. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, London, Ontario N5V 4T3, Canada
4. Fujian Environment Monitoring Central Station, Fuzhou 350003, China
5. Fujian Environment Protection Bureau, Fuzhou 350003, China
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Widespread fecal pollution of surface waters in developing countries is a threat to public health and may represent a significant pathway for the global dissemination of antibiotic resistance. The Minjiang River drainage basin in Fujian Province is one of China's most intensive livestock and poultry production areas and is home to several million people. In the study reported here,
Escherichia coli
isolates (
n
= 2,788) were sampled (2007 and 2008) from seven surface water locations in the basin and evaluated by PCR for carriage of selected genes encoding virulence factors, primarily for swine disease. A subset of isolates (
n
= 500) were evaluated by PCR for the distribution and characteristics of class 1 integrons, and a subset of these (
n
= 200) were evaluated phenotypically for resistance to a range of antibiotics. A total of 666 (24%)
E. coli
isolates carried at least one of the virulence genes
elt
,
fed
A
,
ast
A
,
fas
A
,
est
A
,
stx
2e
,
paa
, and
sep
A
. Forty-one percent of the isolates harbored class 1 integrons, and these isolates had a significantly higher probability of resistance to tobramycin, cefoperazone, cefazolin, ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, azitromycin, and rifampin than isolates with no class 1 integron detected. Frequencies of resistance to selected antibiotics were as high as or higher than those in fecal, wastewater, and clinical isolates in published surveys undertaken in China, North America, and Europe. Overall,
E. coli
in the Minjiang River drainage basin carry attributes with public health significance at very high frequency, and these data provide a powerful rationale for investment in source water protection strategies in this important agricultural and urban setting in China.
Publisher
American Society for Microbiology
Subject
Ecology,Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology,Food Science,Biotechnology
Cited by
63 articles.
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