Characterization of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli isolated from municipal and hospital wastewaters in Japan

The purpose of this study was to characterize the strains of Escherichia coli producing extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL-EC) isolated from municipal and hospital wastewater by detecting antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) as well as antibiotic susceptibility. To identify the source of ESBL-EC, multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) and typing plasmids that may carry ESBL-producing genes were conducted.

The results demonstrated that healthy people carry clinically important antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and ARGs, motivating routine monitoring of municipal wastewater to detect such ARB/ARGs from a variety of sources supported by the high diversity of STs in the present study.