Isolation and characterization of cefotaxime resistant Escherichia coli from household floors in rural Bangladesh
Tahani Tabassum,
Md. Sakib Hossain,
Ayse Ercumen,
Jade Benjamin-Chung,
Md. Foysal Abedin,
Mahbubur Rahman,
Farjana Jahan,
Munima Haque,
Zahid Hayat Mahmud
Affiliations
Tahani Tabassum
Laboratory of Environmental Health, Health Systems and Population Studies Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, 1212, Bangladesh; Biotechnology Program, Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, BRAC University, Merul Badda, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Md. Sakib Hossain
Laboratory of Environmental Health, Health Systems and Population Studies Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, 1212, Bangladesh
Ayse Ercumen
Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, Global Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Cluster, NC State University, Raleigh, NC, 27607, USA
Jade Benjamin-Chung
Department of Epidemiology & Population Health, Stanford University School of Medicine, CA, 94305-5101, USA
Md. Foysal Abedin
Laboratory of Environmental Health, Health Systems and Population Studies Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, 1212, Bangladesh
Mahbubur Rahman
Environmental Health and WASH, Health Systems and Population Studies Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, 1212, Bangladesh; Global Health and Migration Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Sweden
Farjana Jahan
Environmental Health and WASH, Health Systems and Population Studies Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, 1212, Bangladesh
Munima Haque
Biotechnology Program, Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, BRAC University, Merul Badda, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Zahid Hayat Mahmud
Laboratory of Environmental Health, Health Systems and Population Studies Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, 1212, Bangladesh; Corresponding author. Laboratory of Environmental Health Health Systems and Population Studies Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) 68, Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Sarani, Mohakhali, Dhaka, 1212, Bangladesh.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a rising health concern worldwide. As an indicator organism, E. coli, specifically extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) producing E. coli, can be used to detect AMR in the environment and estimate the risk of transmitting resistance among humans, animals and the environment. This study focused on detecting cefotaxime resistant E. coli in floor swab samples from 49 households in rural villages in Bangladesh. Following isolation of cefotaxime resistant E. coli, DNA extracted from isolates was subjected to molecular characterization for virulence and resistance genes, determination of resistance to multiple classes of antibiotics to define multidrug resistant (MDR) and extensively drug resistant (XDR) strains, and the biofilm forming capacity of the isolates. Among 49 households, floor swabs from 35 (71 %) households tested positive for cefotaxime resistant E. coli. Notably, all of the 91 representative isolates were ESBL producers, with the majority (84.6 %) containing the blaCTX-M gene, followed by the blaTEM and blaSHV genes detected in 22.0 % and 6.6 % of the isolates, respectively. All isolates were MDR, and one isolate was XDR. In terms of pathogenic strains, 8.8 % of the isolates were diarrheagenic and 5.5 % were extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC). At 25 °C, 45 % of the isolates formed strong biofilm, whereas 43 % and 12 % formed moderate and weak biofilm, respectively. On the other hand, at 37 °C, 1.1 %, 4.4 % and 93.4 % of the isolates were strong, moderate and weak biofilm formers, respectively, and 1.1 % showed no biofilm formation. The study emphasizes the importance of screening and characterizing cefotaxime resistant E. coli from household floors in a developing country setting to understand AMR exposure associated with floors.
