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Little information is available on the risk of human subjects for acquisition of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) from aquatic environment other than those treated with antimicrobials for aquaculture. Carriage of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) and carbapenemase categories of AMR by enteric bacteria in livestock have been frequently reported. Dissemination of these categories of AMR to the environment thus poses a threat for their transmission to farmers engaged in livestock care posing a severe public health hazard. A study on the prevalence of ESBL- and carbapenemase-mediated AMR among Escherichia coli isolated from earth pond environment used for bathing and cleaning of buffalos (Bubalus bubalis) and from human subjects engaged in such activity revealed isolation rate of ESBL positivity to be higher in human subjects engaged in washing and bathing of buffalos (37.5%) compared to those without engagement in such activities (20.7%) with CTX-M type ESBL, a group of class A ESBL, as the predominant molecular type (97.4%). While no carbapenemase positivity could be detected among E. coli isolated from pond environment or buffalos, small percentage of carbapenemase could be detected among the E. coli isolated from human subjects although the risk was not higher than those not associated with bathing and cleaning of buffalos. Bathing and cleaning of buffalos could potentially facilitate transmission of ESBL resistance from livestock to human subjects in pond environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to investigate potential evidence for spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) from urban migrant labourers to labourers from local resident rural community due to sharing of common residential premises and other civic amenities. Two groups of unskilled labourers, enrolled for civil construction in a peri-urban area viz. (i) labourers having migrated from urban zone and (ii) labourers from local resident village community were compared in terms of demographic profile, history of various risk factors towards acquisition of AMR and prevalence of extended-spectrum betalactamase (ESBL), carbapenemase and New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase type 1 (NDM-1) categories of AMR at enrolment and after one year of sharing of common residential premises with associated sanitation facilities using Escherichia coli as indicator organism. Higher percentage of urban migrant labourers were characterised by low literacy level, history of inhabitation in makeshift shelters without dedicated access to drinking water or cooking space, practice of defecation in open, episodes of illness suggestive of bacterial infections, faulty treatment seeking behaviour and intestinal carriage rate of E. coli with various categories of AMR compared to the non-migrant labourers from rural community. The later group showed an increase in the prevalence of carbapenem resistance with NDM-1 production during the duration of co-inhabitation with urban migrant labourers. The present study provided potential evidence for transfer of AMR by urban migrant labourers to non-migrant labourers from rural community that may serve as vehicle for further transmission of AMR to the rural community hitherto unexposed or less exposed to the problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing faecal carriage rate of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-EC) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (ESBL-KP) among livestock is responsible for abundance of these bacteria in livestock manure which is being extensively used as organic fertilizer in developing countries including India. Use of this manure can be a potential source for spread of these microorganisms to the human community, posing a serious public health threat especially, to manure handlers. There is paucity of data regarding the possible contamination of environment through use of livestock manure from rural India. Analysis of a total of 1080 manure sample pools from different segments of 40 manure heaps each year during the three years period (2015 to 2017) showed a total of 491(45.5%) E. coli and 85 (7.9%) K. pneumoniae to be detected as ESBL producers by double disc synergy test and 3 (0.6%) ESBL-EC and 3 (3.5%) ESBL-KP as carbapenemase producers by CarbaNP test. Among the ESBL producers, 436 (88.8%) ESBL-EC and 59 (69.4%) ESBL-KP were found to harbour blaCTX-M genes by PCR. The present study showed an alarmingly high prevalence of ESBL production and emerging evidence of carbapenemase production among E. coli and K. pneumoniae isolates in the manure samples from rural North India. The antibiotic resistance pattern of the ESBL producing isolates revealed high degree of co-resistance to cephalosporin and non-cephalosporin group of antibiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]