Abstract
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%). All tested pathotypes were susceptible to Gentamicin, and 52% demonstrated multiple-antibiotic resistance (MAR). The results of the current study are of public health concern since the use of untreated harvested rainwater for potable purposes may pose a risk of transmission of pathogenic and antimicrobial-resistant E. coli.
Highlights
Several countries around the world, including South Africa, make use of harvested rainwater (HRW) to meet their daily water needs
This study aimed at reporting on the prevalence of pathogenic E. coli strains and their antibiotic resistance patterns in harvested rainwater collected from tanks in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa
There was evidence of multiple-antibiotic resistance (MAR) E. coli in almost all the HRW systems with some isolates showing simultaneous resistance to a panel of up to nine antibiotics. These results indicate that in the case of infections occurring due to the consumption of contaminated harvested rainwater, treatment may fail because of the persistent resistance of the E. coli isolates detected in the HRW systems
Summary
Several countries around the world, including South Africa, make use of harvested rainwater (HRW) to meet their daily water needs. The most significant issue relating to the use of harvested rainwater is the potential health risk associated with the presence of various pathogenic organisms in such water [1]. Indicator organisms like E. coli have been used to determine the microbiological safety of water meant for drinking and other human needs. Most E. coli strains are non-pathogenic, certain strains may be pathogenic and carry virulence genes (VGs) [2]. Res. Public Health 2018, 15, 892; doi:10.3390/ijerph15050892 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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