Abia, ALKUbomba-Jaswa, EuniceMomba, MNB2016-07-112016-07-112015-10Abia, ALK, Ubomba-Jaswa, E and Momba, MNB. 2015. High prevalence of multiple-antibiotic-resistant (MAR) Escherichia coli in river bed sediments of the Apies River, South Africa. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, vol 187(10):652, pp. 1-130167-6369http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10661-015-4879-6http://hdl.handle.net/10204/8614Copyright: 2015 Springer Verlag. Due to copyright restrictions, the attached PDF file only contains the abstract of the full text item. For access to the full text item, please consult the publisher's website. For access to the full text item, please consult the publisher's website. The definitive version of the work is published in Environmental Technology, Vol. 187(10):652, pp. 1-13This study aimed at investigating the presence of antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli in river bed sediments of the Apies River, Gauteng, South Africa, in order to better inform health management decisions designed to protect users of the river. Overall, 180 water and sediment samples were collected at 10 sites along the Apies River from January to February 2014. E. coli was enumerated using the Colilert® 18/Quanti-Tray® 2000 (IDEXX). Isolates were purified by streaking on eosin methylene blue agar followed by the indole test. Pure E. coli isolates were tested for resistance to nine antibiotics by the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Over 98% of the isolates were resistant to at least one of the antibiotics tested. The highest resistance was observed against nitrofurantoin (sediments) and ampicillin (water). Over 80% of all resistant isolates showed multiple antibiotic resistance (resistance to =3 antibiotics). The abundance of E. coli in the sediments not only adds to the evidence that sediments are a reservoir for bacteria and possibly other pathogens including antibiotic-resistant bacteria but also suggests that antibiotic-resistant genes could be transferred to pathogens due to the high prevalence of multiple-antibiotic-resistant (MAR) strains of E. coli observed in the sediment. Using untreated water from the Apies River following resuspension for drinking and other household purposes could pose serious health risks for users. Our results suggest that river bed sediments could serve as reservoirs for MAR bacteria including pathogens under different climatic conditions and their analysis could provide information of public health concerns.enAntibiotic resistanceEscherichia coliMultiple antibiotic resistanceMARPublic healthRiver bed sedimentsArticleAbia, A., Ubomba-Jaswa, E., & Momba, M. (2015). High prevalence of multiple-antibiotic-resistant (MAR) Escherichia coli in river bed sediments of the Apies River, South Africa. http://hdl.handle.net/10204/8614Abia, ALK, Eunice Ubomba-Jaswa, and MNB Momba "High prevalence of multiple-antibiotic-resistant (MAR) Escherichia coli in river bed sediments of the Apies River, South Africa." (2015) http://hdl.handle.net/10204/8614Abia A, Ubomba-Jaswa E, Momba M. High prevalence of multiple-antibiotic-resistant (MAR) Escherichia coli in river bed sediments of the Apies River, South Africa. 2015; http://hdl.handle.net/10204/8614.TY - Article AU - Abia, ALK AU - Ubomba-Jaswa, Eunice AU - Momba, MNB AB - This study aimed at investigating the presence of antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli in river bed sediments of the Apies River, Gauteng, South Africa, in order to better inform health management decisions designed to protect users of the river. Overall, 180 water and sediment samples were collected at 10 sites along the Apies River from January to February 2014. E. coli was enumerated using the Colilert® 18/Quanti-Tray® 2000 (IDEXX). Isolates were purified by streaking on eosin methylene blue agar followed by the indole test. Pure E. coli isolates were tested for resistance to nine antibiotics by the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Over 98% of the isolates were resistant to at least one of the antibiotics tested. The highest resistance was observed against nitrofurantoin (sediments) and ampicillin (water). Over 80% of all resistant isolates showed multiple antibiotic resistance (resistance to =3 antibiotics). The abundance of E. coli in the sediments not only adds to the evidence that sediments are a reservoir for bacteria and possibly other pathogens including antibiotic-resistant bacteria but also suggests that antibiotic-resistant genes could be transferred to pathogens due to the high prevalence of multiple-antibiotic-resistant (MAR) strains of E. coli observed in the sediment. Using untreated water from the Apies River following resuspension for drinking and other household purposes could pose serious health risks for users. Our results suggest that river bed sediments could serve as reservoirs for MAR bacteria including pathogens under different climatic conditions and their analysis could provide information of public health concerns. DA - 2015-10 DB - ResearchSpace DP - CSIR KW - Antibiotic resistance KW - Escherichia coli KW - Multiple antibiotic resistance KW - MAR KW - Public health KW - River bed sediments LK - https://researchspace.csir.co.za PY - 2015 SM - 0167-6369 T1 - High prevalence of multiple-antibiotic-resistant (MAR) Escherichia coli in river bed sediments of the Apies River, South Africa TI - High prevalence of multiple-antibiotic-resistant (MAR) Escherichia coli in river bed sediments of the Apies River, South Africa UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10204/8614 ER -