exudates and Escherichia-coli-Infections

Extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) and AmpC beta-lactamases (AmpCs)-producing Enterobacteriaceae have been increasingly reported and imposing significant threat to public. Livestock production industry might be the important source for clinically important ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae. This study aims to investigate the resistance profile, phenotypic ESBL production, beta-lactamase genes, virulence factors, and plasmid replicon types among 59 Enterobacteriaceae strains isolated from poultry faecal samples in Malaysia's commercial poultry farm. There were 38.7% and 32.3% of Escherichia coli resistant to cefotaxime and cefoxitin, respectively, while Klebsiellaspp. demonstrated resistance rate of 52.6% to both mentioned antimicrobials. Majority of the E. coli isolates carried blaTEM and blaCMY-2 group. blaSHV was the most prevalent gene detected in Klebsiellaspp., followed by blaDHA and blaTEM. Resistance to extended spectrum cephalosporin in our isolates was primarily mediated by plasmid mediated AmpC beta-lactamase such as CMY-2 group and DHA enzyme. The CTX-M genes were found in two ESBL-producing E. coli. IncF, IncI1, and IncN plasmids were most frequently detected in E. coli and Klebsiellaspp. The virulence factor, including EAST1 and pAA were identified at low frequency. This study highlights the poultry as a reservoir of resistance and virulence determinants and prevalence of plasmids in Enterobacteriaceae might drive their dissemination.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacterial Proteins; beta-Lactamases; Enterobacteriaceae; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli Infections; Farms; Malaysia; Plasmids; Poultry

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the major public health threats globally. This challenge has been aggravated with the overuse and misuse of antibiotics in food animals and humans. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of Extended-Spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) genes in Escherichia coli (E. coli) isolated from broiler chickens in Kelantan, Malaysia. A total of 320 cloacal swabs were collected from farms in different districts of Kelantan and were analyzed using routine bacteriology, antimicrobial susceptibility test, and molecular techniques for further identification and characterization of ESBL encoding genes. Based on PCR detection for the E. coli species-specific Pho gene, 30.3% (97/320) of isolates were confirmed as E. coli, and 84.5% (82/97) of the isolates were positive for at least one ESBL gene. Majority of the isolates, 62.9% (61/97) were harboring blaCTX-M followed by 45.4% (44/97) of blaTEM genes, while 16.5% (16/97) of the isolates were positive for both mcr-1 and ESBL genes. Overall, 93.8% (90/97) of the E. coli were resistant to three or more antimicrobials; indicating that the isolates were multi-drug resistance. 90.7% of multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index value greater than 0.2, would also suggest the isolates were from high-risk sources of contamination. The MLST result shows that the isolates are widely diverse. Our findings provide insight into the alarmingly high distribution of antimicrobial resistant bacteria, mainly ESBL producing E. coli in apparently healthy chickens indicating the role of food animals in the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance, and the potential public health threats it may pose.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Anti-Infective Agents; beta-Lactamases; Chickens; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli Infections; Escherichia coli Proteins; Farms; Humans; Malaysia; Multilocus Sequence Typing

The high burden of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing (ESBL)-producing Enterobacterales worldwide, especially in the densely populated South East Asia poses a significant threat to the global transmission of antibiotic resistance. Molecular surveillance of ESBL-producing pathogens in this region is vital for understanding the local epidemiology, informing treatment choices, and addressing the regional and global implications of antibiotic resistance.. Therefore, an inventory surveillance of the ESBL-. A total of 127 non-repetitive ESBL-EC strains isolated from clinical samples were collected during a multicentre study performed in five representative Malaysian hospitals. Of all the isolates, 33.9% were isolated from surgical site infections and 85.8% were hospital-acquired infections. High rates of resistance to cefotaxime (100%), cefepime (100%), aztreonam (100%) and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (100%) were observed based on the broth microdilution test. Carbapenems remained the most effective antibiotics against the ESBL-EC, followed by flomoxef. Antibiotic resistance genes were identified by PCR. The

Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; beta-Lactamases; Carbapenems; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli Infections; Humans; Malaysia

Inappropriate use of antibiotics has been shown to contribute to the occurrence of multidrug-resistant organisms (MROs). A surveillance study was performed in the largest tertiary care hospital in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 2018 to 2020 to observe the trends of broad-spectrum antibiotics (beta-lactam/beta-lactamases inhibitors (BL/BLI), extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESC), and fluoroquinolones (FQ)) and antibiotics against MRO (carbapenems, polymyxins, and glycopeptides) usage and the correlation between antibiotic consumption and MROs. The correlation between 3-year trends of antibiotic consumption (defined daily dose (DDD)/100 admissions) with MRO infection cases (per 100 admissions) was determined using a Jonckheere-Terpstra test and a Pearson's Correlation coefficient. The antimicrobial resistance trend demonstrated a positive correlation between ESC and FQ towards the development of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Klebsiella spp, ESBL-producing Escherichia coli (E. coli), and MRO Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii). Increasing carbapenem consumption was positively correlated with the occurrence of ESBL-producing Klebsiella spp and E. coli. Polymyxin use was positively correlated with ESBL-producing Klebsiella spp, MRO A. baumannii, and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae. The findings reinforced concerns regarding the association between MRO development, especially with a surge in ESC and FQ consumption. Stricter use of antimicrobials is thus crucial to minimise the risk of emerging resistant organisms.

Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; beta-Lactamase Inhibitors; beta-Lactamases; Carbapenems; Cephalosporins; Cross Infection; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli Infections; Fluoroquinolones; Humans; Inappropriate Prescribing; Klebsiella; Klebsiella Infections; Malaysia; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Tertiary Care Centers

This study profiled the prevalence of extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-EC) in the community and compared their resistome and genomic profiles with isolates from clinical patients through whole-genome sequencing.. Fecal samples from 233 community dwellers from Segamat, a town in southern Malaysia, were obtained between May through August 2018. Putative ESBL strains were screened and tested using antibiotic susceptibility tests. Additionally, eight clinical ESBL-EC were obtained from a hospital in the same district between June through October 2020. Whole-genome sequencing was then conducted on selected ESBL-EC from both settings (n = 40) for pan-genome comparison, cluster analysis, and resistome profiling.. A mean ESBL-EC carriage rate of 17.82% (95% CI: 10.48%- 24.11%) was observed in the community and was consistent across demographic factors. Whole-genome sequences of the ESBL-EC (n = 40) enabled the detection of multiple plasmid replicon groups (n = 28), resistance genes (n = 34) and virulence factors (n = 335), with no significant difference in the number of genes carried between the community and clinical isolates (plasmid replicon groups, p = 0.13; resistance genes, p = 0.47; virulence factors, p = 0.94). Virulence gene marker analysis detected the presence of extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC), uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC), and enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) in both the community and clinical isolates. Multiple blaCTX-M variants were observed, dominated by blaCTX-M-27 (n = 12), blaCTX-M-65 (n = 10), and blaCTX-M-15 (n = 9). The clinical and community isolates did not cluster together based on the pan-genome comparison, suggesting isolates from the two settings were clonally unrelated. However, cluster analysis based on carried plasmids, resistance genes and phenotypic susceptibility profiles identified four distinct clusters, with similar patterns between the community and clinical isolates.. ESBL-EC from the clinical and community settings shared similar resistome profiles, suggesting the frequent exchange of genetic materials through horizontal gene transfer.

Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; beta-Lactamases; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli Infections; Humans; Malaysia; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Plasmids; Virulence Factors

Antimicrobial resistant Escherichia coli have become an ever increasing problem in human, and animal health and production. The imprudent use of antibiotics and poor hygienic practices especially in poultry industries have been contributing to the emergence and spread of E. coli species resistant to broad spectrum antibiotics including Colistin. This study was conducted to detect colistin - resistance and antibiotic sensitivity patterns in E. coli isolated from broiler chickens in Kelantan. A total of 320 cloacal swabs were collected from apparently healthy broiler chickens in different districts of Kelantan and were analysed using routine microbiological methods, Kirby-Bauer method for antimicrobial susceptibility test and PCR amplification of species-specific and colistin - resistance encoding genes. Out of the 320 samples, 91 isolates were confirmed as E. coli and 21/91 (23.08%) were positive for colistin - resistant encoding gene, mcr-1. Most of the isolates were resistant to tetracycline (95.24%), chloramphenicol (85.71%), and sulphamethoxazole/ trimethoprim (85.71%). However, the isolates were less resistant towards piperacillin/ tazobactam (4.76%) and meropenem (9.52%). The findings from this study reveal the emerging threats of colistin - resistant in local food animal production, particularly in poultry production industry. However, more comprehensive, and large-scale studies focusing on more resistance patterns using determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), virulence and resistance characteristics and molecular epidemiology of colistin - resistant E. coli are recommended for better understanding of the epidemiology and to implement the appropriate control and prevention strategies.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bird Diseases; Chickens; Colistin; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli Infections; Escherichia coli Proteins; Humans; Malaysia; Microbial Sensitivity Tests

Local Thai and imported Malaysian beef in southern Thailand area carry\ several Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) serotypes. STEC O104 is an\ important pathogen capable of causing outbreaks with considerable morbidity\ and mortality. This study investigated the presence of E. coli O104 from local Thai\ and imported Malaysian beef obtained from markets in Hat Yai City, Songkhla\ Province during August 2015 - February 2016. Thirty-one E. coli O104 strains\ were isolated from 12 beef samples (16% and 23% Thai and imported Malaysian,\ respectively). Thirty strains possessed aggA (coding for a major component of\ AAF/I fimbriae), a gene associated with enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) pathotype,\ and all strains carried fimH (encoding Type 1 fimbriae). Thirty strains\ belonged to phylogenetic group B1 and one strain (from Malaysian beef) to group\ A. Agglutination of yeast cells was observed among 29 E. coli O104 strains. Investigation\ of stx2 phage occupancy loci demonstrated that sbcB was occupied in 12\ strains. Antimicrobial susceptibility assay revealed that 7 strains were resistant\ to at least one antimicrobial agent and two were multi-drug resistant. One strain\ carried extended spectrum β-lactamase gene blaCTX-M and three carried blaTEM. PFGE-generated DNA profiling showed identical DNA pattern between that of\ one EAEC O104 strain from Thai beef and another from Malaysian beef, indicating\ that these two strains originated from the same clone. This is the first report\ in Thailand describing the presence of EAEC O104 from both Thai and imported\ Malaysian beef and their transfer between both countries. Thorough surveillance\ of this pathogen in fresh meats and vegetables should help to prevent any possible\ outbreak of E. coli O104.

Topics: Commerce; DNA, Bacterial; Escherichia coli Infections; Escherichia coli O104; Food Microbiology; Foodborne Diseases; Malaysia; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Raw Foods; Red Meat; Thailand; Virulence Factors

Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Colistin; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli Infections; Escherichia coli Proteins; Genotype; Humans; Malaysia

The significant role of retail poultry meat as an important exposure pathway for the acquisition and transmission of extended spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-EC) into the human population warrants understanding concerning those operational practices associated with dissemination of ESBL-EC in poultry meat retailing. Hence, the objective of this study was to determine the prevalence, spatial distribution and potential risk factors associated with the dissemination of ESBL-EC in poultry meat retail at wet-markets in Selangor, Malaysia.. Poultry meat (breast, wing, thigh, and keel) as well as the contact surfaces of weighing scales and cutting boards were sampled to detect ESBL-EC by using culture and disk combination methods and polymerase chain reaction assays. Besides, questionnaire was used to obtain data and information pertaining to those operational practices that may possibly explain the occurrence of ESBL-EC. The data were analysed using logistic regression analysis at 95 % CI.. The overall prevalence of ESBL-EC was 48.8 % (95 % CI, 42 - 55 %). Among the risk factors that were explored, type of countertop, sanitation of the stall environment, source of cleaning water, and type of cutting board were found to be significantly associated with the presence of ESBL-EC.. Thus, in order to prevent or reduce the presence of ESBL-EC and other contaminants at the retail-outlet, there is a need to design a process control system based on the current prevailing practices in order to reduce cross contamination, as well as to improve food safety and consumer health.

Topics: Animals; beta-Lactamases; Chickens; Commerce; Cross-Sectional Studies; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli Infections; Food Handling; Humans; Malaysia; Meat; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Poultry; Prevalence; Risk Factors; Sanitation; Spatial Analysis

Uropathogenic virulence factors have been identified by comparing the prevalence of these among urinary tract isolates and environmental strains. The uropathogenic-specific protein (USP) gene is present on the pathogenicity island (PAI) of uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) and, depending on its two diverse gene types and the sequential patterns of three open reading frame units (orfUs) following it, there is a method to characterize UPEC epidemiologically called PAIusp subtyping.. A total of 162 UPEC isolates from Sabah, Malaysia, were tested for the presence of the usp gene and the sequential patterns of three orfUs following it using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In addition, by means of triplex PCR, the prevalence of the usp gene was compared with other two VFs of UPEC, namely alpha hemolysin (α-hly) and cytotoxic necrotizing factor (cnf-1) genes encoding two toxins.. The results showed that the usp gene was found in 78.40% of UPEC isolates, indicating that its prevalence was comparable to that found in a previous study in Japan. The two or three orfUs were also associated with the usp gene in this study. All the PAIusp subtypes observed in Japan were present in this study, while subtype IIa was the most common in both studies. The usp gene was observed in a higher percentage of isolates when compared with α-hly and cnf-1 genes.. The findings in Japan and Sabah, East Malaysia, were similar, indicating that PAIusp subtyping is applicable to the characterization of UPEC strains epidemiologically elsewhere in the world.

Topics: Bacterial Toxins; Escherichia coli Infections; Escherichia coli Proteins; Gene Order; Genomic Islands; Genotype; Genotyping Techniques; Hemolysin Proteins; Humans; Japan; Malaysia; Molecular Epidemiology; Molecular Typing; Open Reading Frames; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Urinary Tract Infections; Uropathogenic Escherichia coli; Virulence Factors

Shiga toxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC) O157 and several other serogroups of non-O157 STEC are causative agents of severe disease in humans world-wide. The present study was conducted to characterize STEC O157 and non-O157 serogroups O26, O103, O111, O121, O45, and O145 in ruminants in Malaysia. A total of 136 ruminant feces samples were collected from 6 different farms in Peninsular Malaysia. Immunomagnetic beads were used to isolate E. coli O157 and non-O157 serogroups, while PCR was used for the detection and subtyping of STEC isolates. STEC O157:H7 was isolated from 6 (4%) feces samples and all isolates obtained carried stx 2c, eaeA-γ1, and ehxA. Non-O157 STEC was isolated from 2 (1.5%) feces samples with one isolate carrying stx 1a, stx 2a, stx 2c, and ehxA and the other carrying stx 1a alone. The presence of STEC O157 and non-O157 in a small percentage of ruminants in this study together with their virulence characteristics suggests that they may have limited impact on public health.

Topics: Animals; Escherichia coli Infections; Escherichia coli O157; Escherichia coli Proteins; Feces; Food Microbiology; Hemolysin Proteins; Humans; Malaysia; Ruminants; Serotyping; Shiga Toxin; Shiga-Toxigenic Escherichia coli

Postweaning diarrhea caused by pathogenic Escherichia coli, in particular verotoxigenic E. coli (VTEC), has caused significant economic losses in the pig farming industry worldwide. However, there is limited information on VTEC in Malaysia. The objective of this study was to characterize pathogenic E. coli isolated from post-weaning piglets and growers with respect to their antibiograms, carriage of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases, pathotypes, production of hemolysins and fimbrial adhesins, serotypes, and genotypes.. PCR detection of virulence factors associated with different E. coli pathotypes (ETEC, EPEC, EHEC, and VTEC) revealed that VTEC was the only pathotype identified from six swine farms located at north-western Peninsular Malaysia. A low prevalence rate of VTEC was found among the swine samples (n = 7/345) and all 7 VTEC isolates were multidrug resistant. Five of these isolates from different hosts raised in the same pen were likely to be of the same clone as they shared identical sero-pathotypes (O139:H1, VT2e/α-hly/F18), resistance profiles and DNA fingerprinting profiles. Two other serotypes, O130: H26 (n = 1) and O168: H21 (n = 1) carrying virulence factors were also identified. O168: H21 is possibly a new serotype as this has not been previously reported.. The occurrence of VTEC with infrequently encountered serotypes that are multidrug resistant and harbouring virulence factors may be of public health concern. The detection of possible clones in this study also showed that the combination of different typing tools including phenotyping and genotyping methods is useful for molecular epidemiologic surveillance and studies.

Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Base Sequence; Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; Escherichia coli Infections; Flagellin; Malaysia; Molecular Sequence Data; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Prevalence; Sequence Alignment; Serotyping; Shiga-Toxigenic Escherichia coli; Swine; Virulence

The emergence of Escherichia coli resistant to extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESCs) is of concern as ESC is often used to treat infections by Gram-negative bacteria. One-hundred and ten E. coli strains isolated in 2009-2010 from children warded in a Malaysian tertiary hospital were analyzed for their antibiograms, carriage of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) and AmpC genes, possible inclusion of the beta-lactamase genes on an integron platform, and their genetic relatedness. All E. coli strains were sensitive to carbapenems. About 46% of strains were multidrug resistant (MDR; i.e., resistant to ≥3 antibiotic classes) and almost half (45%) were nonsusceptible to ESCs. Among the MDR strains, high resistance rates were observed for ampicillin (98%), tetracycline (75%), and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (73%). Out of 110 strains, bla(TEM-1) (49.1%), bla(CTX-M) (11.8%), and bla(CMY-2) (6.4%) were detected. Twenty-one strains were ESBL producers. CTX-M-15 was the predominant CTX-M variant found and this is the first report of a CTX-M-27-producing E. coli strain from Malaysia. Majority (3.1%) of the strains harbored class 1 integron-encoded integrases with a predominance of aadA and dfr genes within the integron variable region. No gene cassette encoding ESBL genes was found and integrons were not significantly associated with ESBL or non-ESBL producers. Possible clonal expansion was observed for few CTX-M-15-positive strains but the O25-ST131 E. coli clone known to harbor CTX-M-15 was not detected while CMY-2-positive strains were genetically diverse.

Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacterial Proteins; beta-Lactam Resistance; beta-Lactamases; Carbapenems; Cephalosporins; Child, Preschool; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli Infections; Humans; Infant; Integrases; Malaysia; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Phylogeny; Prevalence; Tertiary Care Centers

In addition to beta-lactamase production, loss of porins confers resistance to extended-spectrum beta-lactams in Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli infection. This study describes the detection of SHV-12 extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) subtype and the loss of OmpK35 porin in 4 strains of K. pneumoniae and E. coli.. Isoelectric focusing was performed to detect beta-lactamases in 4 strains of K. pneumoniae and E. coli. The presence of the SHV gene in the 4 isolates was characterized by polymerase chain reaction, DNA sequencing, and DNA hybridization. Loss of porin in these strains was analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blot analysis.. The strains of K. pneumoniae and E. coli were confirmed to be ESBL producers and were resistant to cefoxitin, with minimal inhibitory concentration values of 512 microg/mL. All 4 strains had beta-lactamases with an isoelectric value of 8.2. The SHV gene from these strains was characterized to be the SHV-12 subtype and was plasmid-borne. The deduced amino acid sequence showed that the SHV-12 beta-lactamase was a derivative of the more common ESBL, SHV-5 subtype. All the strains showed absence of the OmpK35 porin.. Resistance of the strains towards extended-spectrum beta-lactams was a result of a dual-mechanism - the production of SHV-12 enzymes and loss of the OmpK35 porin.

Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacterial Proteins; beta-Lactam Resistance; beta-Lactamases; beta-Lactams; Blotting, Western; DNA, Bacterial; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli Infections; Escherichia coli Proteins; Humans; Isoelectric Focusing; Klebsiella Infections; Klebsiella pneumoniae; Malaysia; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Nucleic Acid Hybridization; Plasmids; Porins; Sequence Analysis, DNA

The emergence of Escherichia coli that produce extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) and are multidrug resistant (MDR) poses antibiotic management problems. Forty-seven E. coli isolates from various public hospitals in Malaysia were studied. All isolates were sensitive to imipenem whereas 36 were MDR (resistant to 2 or more classes of antibiotics). PCR detection using gene-specific primers showed that 87.5% of the ESBL-producing E. coli harbored the blaTEM gene. Other ESBL-encoding genes detected were blaOXA, blaSHV, and blaCTX-M. Integron-encoded integrases were detected in 55.3% of isolates, with class 1 integron-encoded intI1 integrase being the majority. Amplification and sequence analysis of the 5'CS region of the integrons showed known antibiotic resistance-encoding gene cassettes of various sizes that were inserted within the respective integrons. Conjugation and transformation experiments indicated that some of the antibiotic resistance genes were likely plasmid-encoded and transmissible. All 47 isolates were subtyped by PFGE and PCR-based fingerprinting using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), repetitive extragenic palindromes (REPs), and enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC). These isolates were very diverse and heterogeneous. PFGE, ERIC, and REP-PCR methods were more discriminative than RAPD in subtyping the E. coli isolates.

Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; beta-Lactamases; Cluster Analysis; DNA Fingerprinting; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli Infections; Escherichia coli Proteins; Genotype; Humans; Imipenem; Integrases; Integrons; Malaysia; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Plasmids; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Retrospective Studies

Escherichia coli isolates resistant to ceftazidime isolated in the University Malaya Medical Center (UMMC) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, between the years 1998 and 2000 were studied for extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) production. All strains were analysed phenotypically and genotypically and found to be ESBL-producing organisms harbouring SHV-5 beta-lactamase. This was confirmed by PCR-SSCP and nucleotide sequencing of the blaSHV amplified gene. As there was no evidence of ESBL activity in E. coli prior to this, coupled with the fact that there was a predominance of SHV-5 beta-lactamases in Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates in UMMC, we postulate that the E. coli obtained the SHV-5 beta-lactamase genes by plasmid transfer from the ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae.

Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; beta-Lactam Resistance; beta-Lactamases; Ceftazidime; DNA, Bacterial; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli Infections; Gene Transfer, Horizontal; Genotype; Humans; Klebsiella pneumoniae; Malaysia; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Phenotype; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) is a leading cause of diarrhea among infants in developing countries. A total of 38 EPEC isolates, obtained from diarrhea patients of Hospital Miri, Sarawak, were investigated through plasmid profile, antibiotic resistance and randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis. From the 8 types of antibiotics used, all isolates were 100% resistant to furoxime, cephalothin and sulphamethoxazole and showed high multiple antibiotic resistant (MAR) indexes, ranging from 0.5 to 1.0. In plasmid profiling, 22 isolates (58%) showed the presence of one or more plasmids in the range 1.0 to 30.9 mDa. The dendrogram obtained from the results of the RAPD-PCR discriminated the isolates into 30 single isolates and 3 clusters at the level of 40% similarity. The EPEC isolates were highly diverse, as shown by their differing plasmid profiles, antibiotic resistance patterns and RAPD profiles.

Topics: Adult; Diarrhea; DNA Fingerprinting; Drug Resistance; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli Infections; Humans; Malaysia; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Plasmids; Predictive Value of Tests; Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique

Escherichia coli strains isolated from patients with diarrhea or hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) at Pusan University Hospital, South Korea, between 1990 and 1996 were examined for traits of the O157:H7 serogroup. One strain isolated from a patient with HUS belonged to the O157:H7 serotype, possessed a 60-MDa plasmid, the eae gene, and ability to produce Shiga toxin 1 but not Shiga toxin 2. Arbitrarily primed PCR analysis suggested that this strain is genetically very close to a O157:H7 strain isolated in Japan.

Topics: Bacterial Toxins; Diarrhea; DNA, Bacterial; Escherichia coli Infections; Escherichia coli O157; Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome; Humans; Japan; Korea; Malaysia; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Shiga Toxin 1; Shiga Toxin 2; Virulence

Amongst 107 diarrheal cases studied a bacterial agent was isolated from 71 (66%) cases of which 60 (85%) were due to a single agent and the remaining 11 (15%) were of mixed infections. Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) was isolated from 65 cases. Other pathogens isolated included Salmonella spp, Shigella spp and rotavirus. There was a higher isolation rate of ETEC from females and rotavirus from males. The infection rate was found to higher for the 0-2 year age group as compared to the 3-5 year age group. Amongst the ETEC isolated the STa 2 toxotype was the predominant type.

Topics: Child, Preschool; Developing Countries; Diarrhea, Infantile; Dysentery, Bacillary; Escherichia coli Infections; Escherichia coli O157; Female; Humans; Infant; Malaysia; Male; Rotavirus Infections; Salmonella Infections

The production of heat-labile (LT) and heat-stable (ST) enterotoxins, colonisation factor antigens (CFAs) and haemagglutinins was investigated amongst 310 Escherichia coli (E. coli) isolates obtained from 62 children under the age of five, with diarrhoea. Twenty-one isolates were found to produce enterotoxins, of which fifteen (71%) isolates produced ST only, 2 (10%) produced LT only and 4 (19%) produced both LT and ST. However, none of the isolates demonstrated any of the common CFAs identified to date, but 8 out of the 21 isolates demonstrated haemagglutination with rabbit, sheep or human group A erythrocytes, suggesting the presence of putative CFAs, yet unidentified.

Topics: Bacterial Proteins; Child, Preschool; Developing Countries; Diarrhea; Enterotoxins; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli Infections; Fimbriae Proteins; Hemagglutination Tests; Humans; Infant; Malaysia

Fifteen independent E. coli strains of avian, bovine and porcine origin in Peninsular Malaysia were tested for antibiotic resistance and conjugative R plasmids. Eight (53%) isolates were found to be antibiotic resistant. Among them, 37.5% were mono-resistant and 62.5% were resistant to three or more antibiotics, i.e., multi-resistant. All of them were resistant to Tc and sensitive to Gm and Nx. Three of the eight antibiotic resistant strains were able to transfer all or part of their resistance to an E. coli K12 recipient by conjugation. The transfer frequencies of Km, Sm and Tc resistance of the three donors varied between 4.5 X 10(-8) to 6.8 X 10(-7). Analysis of the plasmid profiles of all the three donors and their respective transconjugants after agarose gel electrophoresis provided conclusive evidence that the transferable resistance traits were plasmid-mediated.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Cattle; Conjugation, Genetic; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli Infections; Malaysia; Plasmids; Poultry; Swine

Topics: Age Factors; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Child; Child, Preschool; Diarrhea; Diarrhea, Infantile; Enterobacteriaceae Infections; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli Infections; Ethnicity; Feces; Female; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Newborn, Diseases; Malaysia; Male