Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important opportunistic pathogen and remains a major threat to the microbial safety of drinking water. There is a lack of comprehensive data on P. aeruginosa contamination in drinking water in China. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence, genetic diversity, virulence genes, and antimicrobial resistance of P. aeruginosa isolated from mineral water and spring water in China. From January 2013 to January 2014, 314 drinking water samples were collected from 23 cities in China. Of the collected samples, 77 (24.5%) were contaminated with P. aeruginosa, and these comprised 34 raw water (30.4%), 39 activated carbon-filtered water (30.6%), and four final water product (3.9%). A total of 132 P. aeruginosa isolates were obtained, and all of them showed the presence of virulence genes, with the detection rates of ExoU, ExoS, phzM, toxA, and lasB genes being 7.6, 86.3, 95.5, 89.4, and 100%, respectively. All isolates were sensitive to the 14 antibiotics (ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, ofloxacin, norfloxacin, gentamicin, tobramycin, amikacin, polymyxin B, imipenem, meropenem, aztreonam, ceftazidime, cefepime, and piperacillin/tazobactam) tested. The 132 isolates were categorized into 42 sequence types according to multilocus sequence typing, and ST235 accounted for 8.3% (11) of the total isolates. Thus, this study provides comprehensive data on the prevalence and characteristics of P. aeruginosa in drinking water in China and can aid in developing preventive measures against contamination during the drinking water treatment process.
Highlights
Microbial contamination of drinking water is a common problem that has a serious impact on public health (Li et al, 2017; Wang et al, 2018)
All the 132 P. aeruginosa isolates from the 23 cities and different sample types were characterized by MLST analysis, TABLE 4 | Virulence genes of 132 Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates
According to the guidelines on the quality of water intended for human consumption (98/83/EC), drinking water should not test positive for P. aeruginosa
Summary
Microbial contamination of drinking water is a common problem that has a serious impact on public health (Li et al, 2017; Wang et al, 2018). Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important opportunistic pathogen and is frequently detected in drinking water (Vaz-Moreira et al, 2012; Lu et al, 2016). P. aeruginosa has a disinfectant resistance gene and can form a biofilm, which makes it the most common contaminant in drinking water production (Guerin-Mechin et al, 2000; Mah et al, 2003). Previous studies have shown that P. aeruginosa is the most suitable indicator of the presence of pathogens in drinking water (Mena and Gerba, 2009). The recommended international code of hygienic practice for collecting, processing, and marketing of natural mineral waters (CAC/RCP 33-1985) and on the quality of water intended for human consumption (98/83/EC) short-listed P. aeruginosa as a bacterial indicator of drinking water quality
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