Characterization of Third Generation Cephalosporin- and Carbapenem-Resistant <i>Aeromonas</i> Isolates from Municipal and Hospital Wastewater

• Main Authors: Sara Drk (Author), Ana Puljko (Author), Mia Dželalija (Author), Nikolina Udiković-Kolić (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: MDPI AG, 2023-03-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.

Summary

Antibiotic resistance (AR) remains one of the greatest threats to global health, and <i>Aeromonas</i> species have the potential to spread AR in the aquatic environment. The spread of resistance to antibiotics important to human health, such as third-generation cephalosporins (3GCs) and carbapenems, is of great concern. We isolated and identified 15 cefotaxime (3GC)- and 51 carbapenem-resistant <i>Aeromonas</i> spp. from untreated hospital and treated municipal wastewater in January 2020. The most common species were <i>Aeromonas caviae</i> (58%), <i>A. hydrophila</i> (17%), <i>A. media</i> (11%), and <i>A. veronii</i> (11%). Almost all isolates exhibited a multidrug-resistant phenotype and harboured a diverse plasmidome, with the plasmid replicons ColE, IncU, and IncR being the most frequently detected. The most prevalent carbapenemase gene was the plasmid-associated <i>bla</i>_KPC-2 and, for the first time, the <i>bla</i>_VIM-2, <i>bla</i>_OXA-48, and <i>bla</i>_IMP-13 genes were identified in <i>Aeromonas</i> spp. Among the 3GC-resistant isolates, the <i>bla</i>_GES-5 and <i>bla</i>_MOX genes were the most prevalent. Of the 10 isolates examined, three were capable of transferring carbapenem resistance to susceptible recipient <i>E. coli</i>. Our results suggest that conventionally treated municipal and untreated hospital wastewater is a reservoir for 3GC- and carbapenem-resistant, potentially harmful <i>Aeromonas</i> spp. that can be introduced into aquatic systems and pose a threat to both the environment and public health.

Item Description

10.3390/antibiotics12030513
2079-6382