IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 892: Antibiotic-Resistant Pathogenic Escherichia Coli Isolated from Rooftop Rainwater-Harvesting Tanks in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 892: Antibiotic-Resistant Pathogenic Escherichia Coli Isolated from Rooftop Rainwater-Harvesting Tanks in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15050892
Authors:
Mokaba Shirley Malema
Akebe Luther King Abia
Roman Tandlich
Bonga Zuma
Jean-Marc Mwenge Kahinda
Eunice Ubomba-Jaswa
Although many developing countries use harvested rainwater (HRW) for drinking and other household purposes, its quality is seldom monitored. Continuous assessment of the microbial quality of HRW would ensure the safety of users of such water. The current study investigated the prevalence of pathogenic Escherichia coli strains and their antimicrobial resistance patterns in HRW tanks in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Rainwater samples were collected weekly between June and September 2016 from 11 tanks in various areas of the province. Enumeration of E. coli was performed using the Colilert®18/Quanti-Tray® 2000 method. E. coli isolates were obtained and screened for their virulence potentials using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and subsequently tested for antibiotic resistance using the disc-diffusion method against 11 antibiotics. The pathotype most detected was the neonatal meningitis E. coli (NMEC) (ibeA 28%) while pathotype enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) was not detected. The highest resistance of the E. coli isolates was observed against Cephalothin (76%)...
Source: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Mokaba Shirley Malema Akebe Luther King Abia Roman Tandlich Bonga Zuma Jean-Marc Mwenge Kahinda Eunice Ubomba-Jaswa Tags: Article Source Type: research