Antibiotic resistance profiling and molecular detection of Escherichia coli Pathotypes isolated from irrigated fresh vegetables

Abstract

Background: Vegetables are vital to our health and well-being providing essential vitamins, minerals and fibre. E. coli is an important agent of food and waterborne illnesses in humans. In the present study, antibiotic susceptibility and molecular detection of E. coli pathotypes isolated from fresh vegetables were carried out. Methods: A total of 135 vegetable samples of spinach, water leaves and pumpkin leaves were collected and diarrheagenic E. coli were identified using the standard microbiological method. The antibiotic susceptibility test for the isolates was carried out and interpreted in accordance with clinical and laboratory standard institute (CLSI) protocol. The molecular detection of E. coli was carried out using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method. Results: Out of the 135 samples the occurrence of E. coli was 37.7%. The highest percentage occurrence was observed from pumpkin leaves (46,6%), and Water leaves (40.0%), while spinach has the lowest (26.6%). E. coli isolated from water leaves were highly susceptible to imipenem (83.3%) followed by Gentamicin (77.8%), Ciprofloxacin (66.7%), Ceftazidime (61.1%), Ampicillin (55.6%), Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (50.0%), Cefotaxime (44.4%), Cefoxitin (33.3%), Septrin (38.8%) and the lowest was Streptomycin (25.9%). The E. coli pathotype that was detected were eltB (33.0%) from spinach only, ial from spinach and water leaves each (33%), Vt2 from Pumpkin leaves (33%) and estA from spinach, water leaves, and Pumpkin leaves each (100%). Conclusion: The E. coli isolated from the fresh vegetables were multi-drug resistant and different E. coli Pathotype genes were detected. This observation presents a direct challenge to public health, where E. coli could serve as a gene pool for horizontal gene spread of antibiotic resistance genes