1. Echinoderms from Azores islands: an unexpected source of antibiotic resistant Enterococcus spp. and Escherichia coli isolates.
- Author
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Marinho C, Silva N, Pombo S, Santos T, Monteiro R, Gonçalves A, Micael J, Rodrigues P, Costa AC, Igrejas G, and Poeta P
- Subjects
- Animals, Azores, Enterococcus drug effects, Enterococcus genetics, Enterococcus isolation & purification, Environmental Monitoring, Escherichia coli drug effects, Escherichia coli genetics, Escherichia coli isolation & purification, Feces microbiology, Genes, Bacterial, Kanamycin Kinase genetics, Kanamycin Kinase metabolism, Water Pollutants, Chemical pharmacology, Anti-Bacterial Agents pharmacology, Drug Resistance, Bacterial genetics, Echinodermata microbiology
- Abstract
The prevalence of antibiotic resistance and the implicated mechanisms of resistance were evaluated in Enterococcus spp. and Escherichia coli, isolated from a total of 250 faecal samples of echinoderms collected from Azorean waters (Portugal). A total of 144 enterococci (120 Enterococcus faecium, 14 E. hirae, 8 E. faecalis, 2 E. gallinarum) and 10 E. coli were recovered. High percentages of resistance in enterococci were found for erythromycin, ampicillin, tetracyclin and ciprofloxacin. The erm(A) or erm(B), tet(M) and/or tet(L), vat(D), aac(6')-aph(2″) and aph(3')-IIIa genes were found in isolates resistant to erythromycin, tetracycline, quinupristin/dalfopristin, high-level gentamicin and high-level kanamycin, respectively. Resistance in E. coli isolates was detected for streptomycin, amikacin, tetracycline and tobramycin. The aadA gene was found in streptomycin-resistant isolates and tet(A)+tet(B) genes in tetracycline-resistant isolates. The data recovered are essential to improve knowledge about the dissemination of resistant strains through marine ecosystems and the possible implications involved in transferring these resistances either to other animals or to humans., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2013
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