Prevalence and distribution of antimicrobial resistance determinants of Escherichia coli isolates obtained from meat in South Africa

This study revealed a high burden of resistance against important antimicrobials such as streptomycin, neomycin, ceftriaxone, chloramphenicol, and tetracycline, including imipenem and meropenem. Genes encoding cephalosporin resistance are commonly situated on self-transmissible plasmids which may be promiscuous and capable of disseminating into a broad range of microbiota. Furthermore, the resistance of E. coli isolates to antibiotics of choice in human therapy such as aminoglycoside, chloramphenicol, carbapenem, and cephalosporin pose a grave danger for success in human chemotherapy. Resistance in nitrofurantoin, a drug not commonly in use in South Africa, suggests that factors other than selective pressure must have an impact on the emergence of resistant E. coli.