Prevalence of virulent, pathogenic and colistin resistant genes in Escherichia coli isolated from out-patients attending Faith Mediplex, Benin City, Edo state, Nigeria

Elma Aniekan Lisk-Anani^¹, Martin Duru^², Lillian Olere Inegbedion^² and Iyekhoetin Matthew Omoruyi^¹✉

 ^¹Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Benson Idahosa University,

P.M.B. 1100, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria

^²Laboratory Department, Faith Mediplex Hospital, No. 1 Giwa Amu/Airport Road,

GRA, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria

Received: Feb 10, 2023/ Revised: Mar 5, 2023/Accepted: Mar 17, 2023

(✉) Corresponding Author: iomoruyi@biu.edu.ng

Abstract

Multidrug resistance is emerging as a serious threat to public health causing increase mortality globally. This study was aimed at investigating the prevalence of multidrug resistant Escherichia coli possessing mcr-1, Uida and Lt genes isolated from out-patients attending Faith Mediplex, in Benin City. A total of 18 E. coli isolates were collected over a period of three months from two sources (urine and high vaginal swab). Samples were obtained using sterile universal collection bottles and swab sticks and cultured using the streak plate method on Eosin Methylene Blue (EMB) agar. The isolates were further identified by their morphological, biochemical as well as 16S rRNA analysis. DNA extraction was done by boiling method, while the presence and/or absence of colistin resistance and virulence genes were determined by polymerase chain reaction and gel electrophoresis. Antibiotics susceptibility profile of the isolates was determined by the disc diffusion method. Most of the E. coli species isolated were resistant to nalidixic acid, amoxicillin clavulanate, amplicox, oxacillin and levofloxacin, all isolates were highly susceptible to colistin and ceftriaxone sulbactarm. All except one organism was resistant to nitrofurantion. Multidrug resistance was observed in most of the isolates and the multidrug resistance index ranged from 50.0% to 71.4%. Four out of the 18 isolates had the presence of beta–glucuronidase (uidA) gene and only 2 out of 18 isolates had the heat-labile (Lt) gene. The other genes were not present in all 18 isolates. The presence of this isolate in clinical samples constitute serious public health concern hence individuals should be educated on personal hygiene and environmental sanitation, antimicrobial stewardship be incorporated in hospitals to reduce multidrug resistance and constant testing should be done because of the life-threatening diseases this organism causes.

Keywords:  Virulence gene; Escherichia coli; Public Health; Hospital; Antimicrobial stewardship

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How to cite this article

Lisk-Anani, E. A., Duru, M., Inegbedion, L. O. and Omoruyi, I. M. (2023). Prevalence of virulent, pathogenic and colistin resistant genes in Escherichia coli isolated from out-patients attending Faith Mediplex, Benin City, Edo state, Nigeria. Microbial Science Archives, Vol. 3(1), 43-51. https://doi.org/10.47587/MSA.2023.3108

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