Antibiotic Susceptibility of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella sp. in Water,  Sediment and Irrigated Vegetables from Rivers in Ilorin Metropolis, Nigeria: doi.org/10.26538/tjnpr/v2i6.3

Olusoji Olusegun Adebisi; Ifeoluwa Deborah Gbala; Ifeyinwa Sarah Obuekwe

Authors

Olusoji Olusegun Adebisi Section of Integrative Bioenergetics Environmental and Ecotoxicological Systems, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Ilorin, P.M.B. 1515, Ilorin, Nigeria
Ifeoluwa Deborah Gbala Section of Integrative Bioenergetics Environmental and Ecotoxicological Systems, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Ilorin, P.M.B. 1515, Ilorin, Nigeria
Ifeyinwa Sarah Obuekwe Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Benin, P.M.B. 1154, Benin City, Nigeria

Keywords:

Escherichia coli,, Salmonella sp.,, Irrigation, Antibiotic susceptibility,, Drug-resistance

Abstract

The assessment of the incidence of Escherichia coli and Salmonella sp. in irrigated fresh fruits and vegetables, and its nexus with the irrigation water is essential to prevent transfer of pathogens to humans. This study aimed at the detection and antibiogram profiling of E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella sp. in the three prominent rivers (Asa, Oyun and Afon) in Ilorin metropolis. Ninety samples of water, sediment, and irrigated vegetables were collected over a period of 12 weeks and analyzed for total heterotrophic bacteria, E. coli and Salmonella/Shigella populations. Antibiotic susceptibility profiling of E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella sp. was carried out using the disc diffusion method. The heterotrophic bacteria populations were mostly higher in sediments (3.90  105 ± 1.15  105 – 2.35  106 ± 8.75  105 cfu/g) than in waters (5.60  104 ± 7.00  103 – 2.16  105 ± 2.00  104 cfu/ml) obtained from the same point. The high counts of E. coli (0 – 1.53  103 ± 5.65  102 cfu/g) and Salmonella/Shigella sp. (0 – 1.59  103 ± 6.95  102 cfu/g) on the irrigated vegetables may be due to the observed direct contamination from polluted water. All E. coli O157:H7 isolates showed extensive drug-resistance while
Salmonella sp. exhibited a combination of extensive and pan-drug resistance to standard antibiotics belonging to penicillins, aminoglycosides, macrolides, and fluoroquinolones. The occurrence of extensively drug-resistant strains of these pathogens in the environment portend a great risk to public health and can increase the chances of an outbreak of fatal infections among the human population.

References

World Health Organization (WHO) Guidelines for drinking water quality. Third Edition, WHO press, Geneva, Switzerland.2006. 398 p.

Metwally AM, Ibrahim NA, Saad A, Abu El-Ela, MH. Improving the roles of rural women in health and environmental issues. Int J Environ Health Res. 2006; 16(2):133-144.

Awuah E, Nyarko KB, Owusu PA., Osei-Bonsu K. Small town water quality. Desalination 2009; 248: 453-459.

Van Rooijen DJ, Biggs TW, Samout I, Drechsel P. Urban growth, wastewater production and use in irrigated agriculture: a comparative study of Accra, Addis Ababa and Hyderadad. Irrigation and drainage Systems 2010; 24(1-2):53-64.

Abakpa GO, Umoh VJ, Ameh JB, Yakubu SE. Microbial quality of irrigation water and irrigated vegetables in Kano State, Nigeria. IFRJ 2013; 20(5):2933-2938.

Blumenthal U, Peasey A, Ruiz-Palacios G, Mara D. Guidelines for wastewater reuse in agriculture and aquaculture: recommended revisions based on new research evidence. UK, WEDC, Loughborough University, 2000. 42.

Sou M, Yacouba H, Mermoud A. Fertilising value and health risks assessment related to wastewater reuse in irrigation, case study in a Soudano-Sahelian city. Quagadougou. J Sci. 21E 2011; 6:1–4.

Kinsinger NM, Mayton HM, Luth MR, Walker SL. Efficacy of post-harvest rinsing and bleach disinfection of E. coli 0157:H7 on spinach leaf surfaces. Food Microbiol. 2017; 62:212-220.

Suardana W, Widiasih, DD, Nugroho WS, Wibowo MH, Suyasa N. Frequency and risk-factors analysis of Escherichia coli 0157:H7 in Bali cattle. Acta Tropica 2017; 172:223-228.

Walters SP, Thebo AL, Boehm AB. Impact of urbanization and agriculture on the occurrence of bacterial pathogens and stx genes in coastal waterbodies of central California. Water Res. 2011; 45: 1752-1762.

Harris LJ, Farber JN, Beuchat LR, Parish ME, Suslow TV, Garrett EH, Busta FF. Outbreaks associated with fresh produce: Incidence, growth, and survival of pathogens in fresh and fresh-cut produce. CRFSFS 2003; 2:78-141.

Islam M, Doyle MP, Phatak SC, Millner P, Jiang X. Persistence of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 in soil and on leaf lettuce and parsley grown in fields treated with contaminated manure composts or irrigation water. J Food Prot. 2004; 67(7):1365-1370.

Petkovic S, Hinrichs W. Blocking tetracycline destruction. Nat Chem Biol. 2017; 13(7):694-695.

Park J, Gasparrini AJ, Reck MR, Symister CT, Elliott JL, Vogel JP, Wencewicz TA, Dantas G, Tolia NH. Plasticity, dynamics, and inhibition of emerging tetracycline resistance enzymes. Nat Chem Biol. 2017; 13(7):730-736.

Poole K. Resistance to β-lactam. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2004; 61: (17) 2200-2223.

Adebisi OO, Ayodeji JO, Taiwo VS, Obuekwe IS. How Long Can Enteric Pathogens Survive in Polluted Environmental Media? NISEB 2016; 17(3):259-267.

Bauer AW, Kirby WM, Sherris JC, Turck M. Antibiotic susceptibility testing by a standardized single-disk method. Am J Clin Pathol. 1966: 45(4):493-496.

Clinical and laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). Performance standards for antimicrobial susceptibility testing; Fifteenth informational supplement, M100-S15; Chicago, IL, USA; 2016; 25, 1.

Solomon EB, Potenski CJ, Matthews KR. Effect of irrigation method on transmission to and persistence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 on lettuce. J Food Prot 2002a; 65(4):673-676.

Alam M. Doctoral Thesis Swedish- Microbial Status of Irrigation Water for Vegetables as Affected by Cultural Practices - Agronomic Aspects. Acta Universitatis agriculturae Sueciae 2014; 97p.

Wang G, Doyle MP. Survival of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 in water. J Food Prot.1998; 61:662-667.

Ackers ML, Mahon BE, Leahy E, Goode B, Damrow T, Hayes PS, Bibb WF, Rice DH, Barrett TJ, Hutwagner L, Griffin PM, and Slutsker L. An outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infections associated with leaf lettuce consumption. J Infect Dis. 1998; 177(6):1588-1593.

Solomon EB, Yaron S, Matthews KR. Transmission of Escherichia coli O157:H7 from Contaminated Manure and Irrigation Water to Lettuce Plant Tissue and Its Subsequent Internalization. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2002b; 68:1397-1400.

Pachepsky Y, Shelton DR, McLain JET, Patel J, Mandrell RE. Irrigation waters as a source of pathogenic microorganisms in produce: A review. Adv Agron. 2011; 113:73-138.

Abdul-Raouf UM, Beuchat, LR, Ammar MS. Survival and growth of Escherichia coli O157:H7 on salad vegetables. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1993; 59(7):1999-2006.

Del Rosario BA, Beuchat LR. Survival and growth of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 in cantaloupe and watermelon. J Food Prot. 1995; 58(1): 105-107.

Diaz C, Hotchkiss JH. Comparative growth of Escherichia coli 0157:H7, spoilage organisms and shelf-life of shredded iceberg lettuce stored under modified atmospheres. J Sci Food Agric. 1996; 70(4):433-438.

Marine SC, Pagadala S, Wang F, Pahl DM, Melendez MV, Kline WL, Oni RA, Walsh CS, Everts KL, Buchanan RL, Micallef SA. The growing season, but not the farming system, is a food safety risk determinant for leafy greens in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2015; 81:2395–2407.

Luo C, Tsementzi D, Kyrpides N, Read T, Konstantinidis KT. Direct comparisons of Illumina vs. Roche 454 sequencing technologies on the same microbial community DNA sample. PLoS ONE 2012; 7:1-12.

Winter TC, Harvey JW, Franke OL. Alley WM. Ground water and surface water: a single resource: DIANE Publishing; 1998.

Gomez C, Da Silva P, Moreira RG, Castell-Perez E, Ellis EA, Pendleton M. Understanding E. coli internalization in lettuce leaves for optimization of irradiation treatment. Int J Food Microbiol. 2009; 135(3):238-247.

Barker-Reid F, Harapas D, Engleitner S, Kreidl S, Holmes R, Faggian R. Persistence of Escherichia coli on injured iceberg lettuce in the field, overhead irrigated with contaminated water. J Food Prot. 2009; 72(3): 458-464.

Heaton JC, Jones K. Microbial contamination of fruit and vegetables and the behaviour of enteropathogens in the phyllosphere: a review. J Appl Microbiol. 2008; 104(3):613-626.

Kim H, Samadpour M, Grimm L, Clausen C, Besser T, Baylor M, Kobayashi J, Neill LM, Schoenknecht F, Tarr P. Characteristics of antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Washington State, 1984-1991. J Infect Dis. 1994; 170:1606-1609.

Shroeder CM, Meng J, Zhao S, DebRoy C, Jorcolini J, Zhao C, McDermott PF, Wagner DD, Walker RD, White DG. Antimicrobial resistance of E. coli 026, 0103, 0111, 0128, and 0145 from animals and humans. Emerg Infect Dis. 2002; 8(12):1409-1414