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Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is global health concern escalating rapidly in both clinical settings and environment. The effluent from pharmaceuticals and hospitals may contain diverse antibiotics, exerting selective pressure to develop AMR. To study the aquatic prevalence of drug-resistant staphylococci, sampling was done from river Yamuna (3 sites) and wastewater (7 sites) near pharmaceutical industries in Delhi-NCR, India. 59.25% (224/378) were considered presumptive staphylococci while, methicillin resistance was noted in 25% (56/224) isolates. Further, 23 methicillin-resistant coagulase negative staphylococci (MR-CoNS) of 8 different species were identified via 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Multidrug resistance (MDR) was noted in 60.87% (14/23) isolates. PCR based detection of antibiotic resistance genes revealed the number of isolates containing mecA (7/23), blaZ (6/23), msrA (10/23), aac(6')aph (2") (2/23), aph(3')-IIIa (2/23), ant(4')-Ia (1/23), dfrG (4/23), dfrA(drfS1) (3/23), tetK (1/23) and tetM (1/23). The current research highlights the concerning prevalence of MDR-CoNS in aquatic environment in Delhi., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Every year millions of people die due to fatal waterborne diseases around the world especially in developing countries like India. Sikkim, a northeastern state of India, greatly depends on natural water sources. About 80% of the population of Sikkim depends on natural spring water for domestic as well as agricultural use. Recent waterborne disease outbreaks in the state raises a concerning question on water quality. In this study, we analyzed water quality especially for the detection of Enterobacteriaceae members from four districts of the state. Isolation with selective culture media techniques and taxonomic characterization of Enterobacteriaceae bacteria with 16S rRNA gene showed the prevalence of Escherichia coli (37.50%), Escherichia fergusonii (29.41%), Klebsiella oxytoca (36.93%), Citrobacter freundii (37.92%), Citrobacter amalonaticus (43.82%), Enterobacter sp. (43.82%), Morganella morganii (43.82%), Hafnia alvei (32.42%), Hafnia paralvei (38.74%), and Shigella flexneri (30.47%) in the spring water of Sikkim. Antibiotic susceptibility test (AST) showed resistance of the isolates to common antibiotics like ampicillin, amoxicillin as well as to third generation antibiotics like ceftazidime and carbapenem. None of the isolates showed resistance to chloramphenicol. E. coli isolated from spring water of Sikkim showed presence of different virulence genes such as stx1 (81.81%), elt (86.66%), and eae (66.66%) along with resistance gene for ampicillin (CITM) (80%), quinolones (qnrB) (44.44%), tetracycline (tetO) (66.66%), and streptomycin (aadA1) (66.66%). The data indicates a high incidence rate of multiple antibiotic resistant enteric bacteria in the spring water of Sikkim. Additionally, the presence of enteric bacteria in the water samples indicates widespread fecal contamination of the spring water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• First insight into the viral community composition in a stream sediment ecosystem. • Classified virome fraction indicated the dominance of ssDNA viruses. • Recovered uncultivated viral genomes (UViGs) hint at novel community structure as per existing databases. • Auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs) involved in pyrimidine, carbohydrate, and organosulfur metabolism were detected. • Identified antibiotic resistance genes indicate the potential roles of viruses as ARG reservoirs. Virome exploration from the freshwater stream ecosystem is less explored. We deciphered the DNA virome from sediments of the N-Choe stream in Chandigarh, India. This study utilized the long-read nanopore sequencing data analyzed by assembly-free and assembly-based approaches to study the viral community structure and its genetic potential. In the classified fraction of the virome, we observed the dominance of the ssDNA viruses. The prominent ssDNA virus families were Microviridae, Circoviridae , and Genomoviridae. The majority of dsDNA viruses were bacteriophages belonging to class Caudoviricetes. We also recovered metagenome-assembled viruses of Microviridae , CRESS DNA viruses, and viral-like circular molecules. We identified the structural and functional gene repertoire of the viromes and their gene ontology. Furthermore, we detected auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs) involved in pathways such as pyrimidine synthesis, organosulfur metabolism indicating the functional importance of viruses in the ecosystem. The antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), metal resistance genes (MRGs), and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) present in the viromes and their co-occurrence were studied. ARGs of the glycopeptide, macrolide, lincosamide, streptogramin (MLS), and mupirocin categories were well represented. Among the reads containing ARGs, a few reads were also classified as viruses, indicating that environmental viruses act as reservoirs of ARGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Bacteroides fragilis group, the most encountered anaerobic bacterium is emerging with resistance to antibiotics. This study explores the antibiogram and occurrence of resistance genes in isolates of B fragilis group from clinical samples., Method: In this study the antimicrobial susceptibility test was done using commercially available E strip test and the results were recorded according to CLSI guidelines. Genotypic investigations were performed by conventional PCR to detect the target resistant genes., Results: Ceftriaxone, cefoxitin, clindamycin and imipenem were found to be the most resistant antimicrobials in E test method. Metronidazole has shown resistance in 7 strains in vitro while resistance nim genes were detected in 12 strains from 62 randomly selected isolates. Other resistance genes (cfiA, ermF and cepA) were expressed at 58%, 62.9% and 48.3% respectively, among these strains., Conclusion: B fragilis group harbouring the resistant genes may not be fully expressed phenotypically. Hence, detection of these genes by PCR might be necessary for a pertinent conclusion., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest There is no conflict of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2020 Indian Association of Medical Microbiologists. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)