MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION AND ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE PATTERN OF DIFFUSELY ADHERENT ESCHERICHIA COLI (DAEC) STRAINS ISOLATED FROM THE CHILDREN AND ADULTS WITH DIARRHOEAL SYMPTOMS - A STUDY FROM TERTIARY REFERRAL HOSPITAL, PUDUCHERRY, INDIA

Mailan Natarajan; Jharna Mandal; Niranjan Biswal

Volume : VIII, Issue : III, March - 2019

MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION AND ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE PATTERN OF DIFFUSELY ADHERENT ESCHERICHIA COLI (DAEC) STRAINS ISOLATED FROM THE CHILDREN AND ADULTS WITH DIARRHOEAL SYMPTOMS - A STUDY FROM TERTIARY REFERRAL HOSPITAL, PUDUCHERRY, INDIA

Mailan Natarajan, Jharna Mandal, Niranjan Biswal

Abstract :

Background: Diarrhoea is a major global threat in developing countries especially in children below the age of five and the commonest bacterial etiologic pathogen of infectious diarrhoea is diarrhoeagenic E. coli (DEC). Among all the types of DEC, knowledge about the role of DAEC in diarrhoeal disease and their antimicrobial resistance (AMR) profile is limited in our center. Aim: To detect the DAEC pathotypes from diarrhoeal stool specimen of children and adult and to study their toxin and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes profile (27 genes belongs to nine classes of antibiotics). Methodology: Overall, 220 (120 children and 100 adults) stool samples from diarrhoeal cases were collected and inoculated on MacConkey agar. E.coli was confirmed using standard biochemical profiling. Convention polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was employed to detect virulence, toxin, AMR and integrons genes. Results: Out of 220 patients, 8 were positive for DAEC infection. No hlyA, hlyB, cfn1, cfn2, and ast toxin genes detected among these strains. AMR genes detected in DAEC isolates were sulI 75% (6), qnrB 62.5% (5), sulII 62.5% (5), qnrS 50% (4), tetA 37.5% (3), tetD 37.5% (3), blaSHV 37.5% (3), blaTEM 37.5% (3), tetC 25% (2) tetB 25% (2) catI 25% (2) aadB 12.5% (1) blaCTX 12.5% (1). 3 DAEC strains harboured int1 gene 37.5% (3) (class 1 integrons) Conclusion: DAEC was found to be a predominant cause of diarrhoea in children and adults. These strains harboured various classes of AMR genes. Existence of class 1 integrons genes in these strains emphasize the significance of horizontal gene transfer (HGT)