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Multiple Antimicrobial Resistance of Gram-Negative Bacteria from Natural Oligotrophic Lakes Under Distinct Anthropogenic Influence in a Tropical Region

  • Environmental Microbiology
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Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the resistance to ten antimicrobial agents and the presence of bla TEM1 gene of Gram-negative bacteria isolated from three natural oligotrophic lakes with varying degrees of anthropogenic influence. A total of 272 indigenous bacteria were recovered on eosin methylene blue medium; they were characterized for antimicrobial resistance and identified taxonomically by homology search and phylogenetic comparisons. Based on 16S ribosomal RNA sequences analysis, 97% of the isolates were found to be Gram-negative bacteria; they belonged to 11 different genera. Members of the genera Acinetobacter, Enterobacter, and Pseudomonas predominated. Most of the bacteria were resistant to at least one antimicrobial. The incidence of resistance to β-lactams, chloramphenicol, and mercury was high, whereas resistance to tetracycline, aminoglycosides, and nalidixic acid was low. There was a great frequency of multiple resistances among the isolates from the three lakes, although no significant differences were found among the disturbed and reference lakes. The ampicillin resistance mechanism of 71% of the isolates was due to the gene bla TEM1 . Our study suggests that multiresistant Gram-negative bacteria and the bla TEM1 gene are common in freshwater oligotrophic lakes, which are subject to different levels of anthropogenic inputs.

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Acknowledgments

We thank FAPEMIG and CNPq for providing financial support. DSP, FRS, and AMAN were supported by CNPq.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Biologia Geral, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    D. S. Pontes, F. A. Pinheiro, C. I. Lima-Bittencourt, R. L. M. Guedes, F. Barbosa, F. R. Santos, E. Chartone-Souza & A. M. A. Nascimento

  2. Department of Plant Pathology and Plant–Microbe Biology, NYSAES, Cornell University, Geneva, NY, 14456, USA

    L. Cursino

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  1. D. S. Pontes
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  2. F. A. Pinheiro
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  3. C. I. Lima-Bittencourt
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  6. F. Barbosa
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  8. E. Chartone-Souza
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  9. A. M. A. Nascimento
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Correspondence to A. M. A. Nascimento.

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Pontes, D.S., Pinheiro, F.A., Lima-Bittencourt, C.I. et al. Multiple Antimicrobial Resistance of Gram-Negative Bacteria from Natural Oligotrophic Lakes Under Distinct Anthropogenic Influence in a Tropical Region. Microb Ecol 58, 762–772 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-009-9539-3

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