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Detection of New Delhi Metallo-β-lactamase 1 and Cephalosporin Resistance Genes Among Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae in Water Bodies Adjacent to Hospitals in India

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Abstract

The prevalence of carbapenem resistance among bacterial isolates from selected water bodies receiving hospital effluents and adjoining aquaculture farms in Kerala, India, was studied. Klebsiella pneumoniae followed by Escherichia coli, Klebsiella oxytoca, Enterobacter aerogenes and Acinetobacter baumannii were the predominant isolates. Antibiotic sensitivity of these isolates was determined by Kirby–Bauer disc diffusion method. Nearly 60% of the Enterobacteriaceae isolates screened were multidrug resistant of which 16.6% were carbapenem resistant. The carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae were further screened for the presence of New Delhi metallo β-lactamase-1 and cephalosporin resistance encoding genes. All NDM-1 isolates were highly resistant to carbapenem, cephalosporin, aminoglycosides, quinolones, tetracycline, and sulphonamides. K. pneumoniae harboring blaNDM-1 gene and E. coli isolates with blaCTX-M-15 and blaSHV-11 genes were detected in hospital discharge points. In aquaculture farms too, carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae with blaNDM-1 gene and E. coli isolates with blaCTX-M-15 were observed, although there was no use of antibiotics in these farms. However, other carbapenemase genes such as blaTEM, blaVIM, blaIMP and blaGIM were not detected in any of these isolates. The results suggest the increased prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae in the water bodies receiving hospital effluent and its dissemination to adjacent aquaculture farms, posing a serious threat to public health.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the authorities of the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies for providing funds and facilities to carry out the work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Aquatic Animal Health Management, Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, Kochi, Kerala, India

    Sneha Girijan Kalasseril & Devika Pillai

  2. Department of Aqualife Medicine, Chonnam National University, Yeosu, Republic of Korea

    Rahul Krishnan

  3. Department of Aquaculture, Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, Kochi, Kerala, India

    Rejish Kumar Vattiringal

  4. State Laboratory for Livestock, Marine & Agri Products (SLMAP), Department of Animal Husbandary, Government of Kerala, Ernakulam, India

    Robin Paul

  5. ReAct Asia-Pacific, Centre for Environment, Sustainability and Health, Vellore, India

    Philip Mathew

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Contributions

SKG is responsible for performing the experiments and drafting the manuscript. RK assisted the first author in some of the experiments, RK helped in the editing, DP is responsible for conception and planning of the study, critical review and editing of the article. RP, PM and DP work together in the Kerala Antimicrobial Resistance Strategic Action Plan and were involved in critical review and editing of the article.

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Correspondence to Devika Pillai.

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All experiments were performed in strict accordance with the guidelines of the Committee for Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA) registration number: 1174/ac/08/CPCSEA. The protocol was reviewed and approved by the institutional animal ethics committee of Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, India.

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Kalasseril, S.G., Krishnan, R., Vattiringal, R.K. et al. Detection of New Delhi Metallo-β-lactamase 1 and Cephalosporin Resistance Genes Among Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae in Water Bodies Adjacent to Hospitals in India. Curr Microbiol 77, 2886–2895 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-020-02107-y

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