AUTHOR=Avatsingh Achhada Ujalkaur , Sharma Shilpa , Kour Shilippreet , Arora Yukta , Sharma Sheetal , Joshi Divya , Chaudhary Prem Prashant , Perveen Kahkashan , Kamal Mohab Amin , Singh Nasib 

TITLE=Prevalence of antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria having extended-spectrum β-lactamase phenotypes in polluted irrigation-purpose wastewaters from Indian agro-ecosystems

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=14

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1227132

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2023.1227132

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>Antibiotic resistance in bacteria has emerged as a serious public health threat worldwide. Aquatic environments including irrigation-purpose wastewaters facilitate the emergence and transmission of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes leading to detrimental effects on human health and environment sustainability. Considering the paramount threat of ever-increasing antibiotic resistance to human health, there is an urgent need for continuous environmental monitoring of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes in wastewater being used for irrigation in Indian agro-ecosystems. In this study, the prevalence of antibiotic resistance in Gram-negative bacteria isolated from irrigation-purpose wastewater samples from Sirmaur and Solan districts of Himachal Pradesh was determined. Bacterial isolates of genera <italic>Escherichia, Enterobacter, Hafnia, Shigella, Citrobacter</italic>, and <italic>Klebsiella</italic> obtained from 11 different geographical locations were found to exhibit resistance against ampicillin, amoxyclav, cefotaxime, co-trimoxazole, tobramycin, cefpodoxime and ceftazidime. However, all the isolates were sensitive to aminoglycoside antibiotic gentamicin. <italic>Enterobacter</italic> spp. and <italic>Escherichia coli</italic> showed predominance among all the isolates. Multidrug-resistance phenotype was observed with isolate AUK-06 (<italic>Enterobacter</italic> sp.) which exhibited resistant to five antibiotics. Isolate AUK-02 and AUK-09, both <italic>E. coli</italic> strains showed resistant phenotypes to four antibiotics each. Phenotypic detection revealed that six isolates were positive for extended-spectrum β-lactamases which includes two isolates from <italic>Enterobacter</italic> spp. and <italic>E. coli</italic> each and one each from <italic>Shigella</italic> sp. and <italic>Citrobacter</italic> sp. Overall, the findings revealed the occurrence of antibiotic resistant and ESBL-positive bacterial isolates in wastewaters utilized for irrigation purpose in the study area and necessitate continuous monitoring and precautionary interventions. The outcomes of the study would be of significant clinical, epidemiological, and agro-environmental importance in designing effective wastewater management and environmental pollution control strategies.</p>