A Pilot Study of Chicago Waterways as Reservoirs of Multi-Drug Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (MDR-Ent) in a High-Risk Region for Community-Acquired MDR-Ent Infection in Children

Community-acquired multi-drug resistant (MDR) Enterobacteriaceae (Ent) infections continue to increase in the U.S. In prior studies we identified neighboring regions in Chicago, Illinois where children have a 5-6 times greater odds of MDR-Ent infections. To prevent community spread of MDR-Ent, we need to identify the MDR-Ent reservoirs. A pilot study of 4 Chicago waterways for MDR-Ent and associated antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) was conducted. Three waterways (A1-A3) are labelled safe for “incidental contact recreation” (e.g. kayaking) and A4 is a non-recreational waterway that carries non-disinfected water.