Multidrug Resistant Pattern and Plasmid Detection of <i>Escherichia coli</i> from Various Sources within the University of Port Harcourt

Abstract

Multi-drug resistance (MDR) in Enterobacteriaceae poses critical public health threat in Nigeria and the global world. This resistant mechanism might be plasmid mediated or chromosomal. Escherichia coli are Gram negative pathogen with a global distribution rate. The study was carried out to determine MDR and plasmid profiling of E. coli isolates from urine, feaces and poultry litter. The samples were cultured on eosine methylene blue agar and incubated for 24 hours at 37°C. Results obtained showed a percentage prevalence of 30% for the urine samples which were the most prevalent, while the prevalence of E. coli from the feacal and poultry litter was 8% and 28% respectively. Identified E. coli were screened for antibiotic susceptibility by Kirby Bauer diffusion method. The results on susceptibility of E. coli to tested antibiotics before plasmid curing showed 100% resistance to cefuroxime and augumentin, while 75% resistance was observed in gentamicine, ciprofloxacin and ofloxacine. Cefixime and cefdazidime resistance were 62.5% on E. coli and the least resistance was observed in nitrofurantion (25%). The poultry litter and urine isolates recorded lower resistance level to antibiotics, compared to the feacal isolates. After plasmid curing the percentage of resistance reduced. The only antibiotics that responded positively was nitrofurantion, with high sensitivity of 87% for feacal isolate, 100% for urine isolates, and 78% for poultry litter isolates after plasmid curing. Twenty (20) of the thirty seven (37) isolates were still resistant to more than two antibiotics after the plasmid curing. Of the twenty isolates, 18 (90%) were found to harbor single plasmid, while 2 (10%) did not possess plasmid. This study concludes that nitrofurantion was the most effective antibiotics on Escherichia coli and plasmids were responsible partly for resistance.