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The frequency of virulent genes and antimicrobial resistance patterns of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli isolated from stools of children presenting with diarrhea in a tertiary hospital in Abakaliki, Nigeria.Ebuka Elijah David,Muhammad Arfat Yameen,Ikechukwu O Igwenyi,Arthur Chinedu Okafor,Uket Nta Obeten,Doris Olachi Obasi,Uchenna Regina Ezeilo,Chidinma Nnenne David. Abstract | | | | Aim: This study was aimed to determine the virulent genes and antibiotic resistance patterns among circulating DEC pathotypes in a tertiary care health center in east of Nigeria.
Method: Diarrheal stool samples were obtained from 80 children under 5 years and E. coli was isolated and identified using standard biochemical and molecular methods. Multiplex PCR was used to detect 8 virulent genes of diarrheagenic E. coli (DEC). Disk diffusion method was used to determine the antibiotic susceptibility of DEC.
Results: DEC infection was observed in 54 (68%) children among which ial gene for EIEC [40% (n = 22)] was commonly detected followed by eltA/eltB for ETEC [30% (n = 16)], pCVD for EAEC [20% (n = 11)] and eaeA/bfpA for typical EPEC [10% (n = 5)]. The DEC isolates phenotypically exhibited resistance for ampicillin [44 (81%)] followed by ciprofloxacin/levofloxacin [28 (52%)], cefoxitin [11 (20%)] and amoxicillin-clav [6 (11%)]. Sixty percent (60%) isolates of ST-ETEC were resistant to amoxicillin-clav, ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin while all the LT-ETEC exhibited resistance to ampicillin. Sixty percent 60% (n= 6) resistance were seen in EAEC against ampicilin, amoxicillin-clav, cefoxitin, ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin. In EIEC, all the isolates (n = 22) were resistant to ampicillin while 50% (n = 11) were resistant to both ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin. All EPEC (n = 5) were resistant to ampicillin, cefoxitin, ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin.
Conclusion: High frequency of virulent ial and eltA/eltB genes for EIEC and ETEC respectively suggest they are the primary etiological agents of diarrhea in children among DEC pathotypes. Resistance to high numbers of antibiotics used indicate possible emergence of multi-drug resistance.
Key words: Diarrheagenic E. coli (DEC); Antibiotic resistance; Diarrheal stool; Multiplex PCR; multi-drug resistance; Polymerase chain reaction
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