Playgrounds in City of Pushchino with Different Types of Coating as Reservoir of Antibiotic-Resistant Strains of Pseudomonas spp.

Abstract

In this study, we investigated antibiotic-resistant microorganisms isolated by the direct plating method from 6 playgrounds in the city of Pushchino, Moscow Region, with different types of coating: sand, soil with sand, grass and a modern playground coating made of pressed rubber crumb. According to the results of the study, sand is the cleanest type of coating, both in terms of the total count of cultivated microorganisms (8 × 105/g of substrate) and in terms of the content of resistant strains. The most contaminated both in terms of the total count of cultivated microorganisms (1.2-1.9 × 109/g of substrate) and in terms of the content of antibiotic-resistant strains was the coating of pressed rubber crumb. We isolated 65 antibiotic-resistant strains of fluorescent pseudomonads. Nine Pseudomonas strains were found to contain antibiotic resistance plasmids (one belongs to P-1 incompatibility group, seven to IncP-7 and one to unidentified incompatibility group). For the first time, we discovered a conjugative plasmid pD4A-46 conferring tetracycline resistance and belonging to the P-7 incompatibility group. Taking into account the results obtained under this study, it can be recommended to periodically treat the crumb rubber coating with non-toxic antiseptics, i.e. hydrogen peroxide or chlorhexidine.