Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Escherichia Coli Strains Collected from The Southwestern Coast of Istanbul

Nuket Sivri and Vildan Akbulut

Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Istanbul University 34320, Avcılar, Istanbul, Turkey.

Corresponding Author E-mail: nuket@istanbul.edu.tr / sivrin@gmail.com 

DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.13005/bbra/2098

ABSTRACT: Antimicrobial resistance is one of the biggest problems facing global public health. Among the microorganisms with antimicrobial resistance, Escherichia coli species strains out due to its dual role as fecal contamination indicator and pathogen. In this study was found that the prevalence’s of antimicrobial resistance (AR) and multiple antimicrobial resistance (MAR) of Escherichia coli in the southwestern coast of Istanbul, under strong anthropogenic pressures, for a period of three years starting in January 2009 through December 2011. The fecal indicator bacterium, Escherichia coli, was tested for their susceptibility to different group of 10 antimicrobials, using the disk diffusion method. In this study, 194 strains of E.coli were isolated, in which ampicillin (74.4%) and amoxicillin (47.4%) had the highest resistance rates. Tetracycline resistance was found to be 43.3%.  While 84.4% of the isolates were found to be resistant to at least one or more antibiotic, 63.4% were resistance to 2 or more antibiotics and 24.7% were resistant to 5 or more antibiotics. In addition, no resistance was detected in the antibiotic imipenem. With the number of the resistant strains out numbering the number of sensitive strains, serious concerns regarding antibiotic resistance in sea based bacteria are raised. As a result, the association between wrong and insufficient refinement and pollution indicator bacteria spreading throughout the environment is clear. These findings, which were obtained throughout Istanbul’s shores which are frequently used for recreation, fishing, and transport, show that public health is under serious risks.

KEYWORDS: Escherichia coli; antibiotic resistance; multiple antibiotic resistances; Istanbul; Turkey

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