Microbial water quality and the detection of multidrug resistant E. coli and antibiotic resistance genes in aquaculture sites of Singapore

Charmaine Ng; Hongjie Chen; Shin Giek Goh; Laurence Haller; Zhixin Wu; Francis Rathinam Charles; Aurore Trottet; Karina Gin

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.07.055

Microbial water quality and the detection of multidrug resistant E. coli and antibiotic resistance genes in aquaculture sites of Singapore

Mar Pollut Bull. 2018 Oct:135:475-480. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.07.055. Epub 2018 Jul 24.

Authors

Charmaine Ng¹, Hongjie Chen², Shin Giek Goh³, Laurence Haller⁴, Zhixin Wu⁵, Francis Rathinam Charles⁶, Aurore Trottet⁷, Karina Gin⁸

Affiliations

¹ National University of Singapore, Department of Surgery, 1E Kent Ridge Road, NUHS Tower Block, Level 8, Singapore 119228, Singapore.
² National University of Singapore, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 1 Engineering Drive 2, E1A 08-03, Singapore 117576, Singapore. Electronic address: e0008539@u.nus.edu.
³ National University of Singapore, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 1 Engineering Drive 2, E1A 08-03, Singapore 117576, Singapore. Electronic address: ceegsg@nus.edu.sg.
⁴ National University of Singapore, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 1 Engineering Drive 2, E1A 08-03, Singapore 117576, Singapore. Electronic address: ceeltgh@nus.edu.sg.
⁵ National University of Singapore, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 1 Engineering Drive 2, E1A 08-03, Singapore 117576, Singapore.
⁶ National University of Singapore, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 1 Engineering Drive 2, E1A 08-03, Singapore 117576, Singapore. Electronic address: ceefrc@nus.edu.sg.
⁷ Danish Hydraulic Institute (DHI) Water and Environment, 1 Cleantech Loop, #03-05, CleanTech One, Singapore 637141, Singapore. Electronic address: atr@dhigroup.com.
⁸ National University of Singapore, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 1 Engineering Drive 2, E1A 08-03, Singapore 117576, Singapore; National University of Singapore Environmental Research Institute (NERI), 5A Engineering Drive 1, T-labs, 08-03, Singapore 117411, Singapore. Electronic address: ceeginyh@nus.edu.sg.

PMID: 30301062
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.07.055

Abstract

Poor microbial water quality jeopardizes the health and safety of food produced by aquaculture farms. Three fish farms and transect sites in Singapore were assessed for microbial water quality and antimicrobial resistance determinants. Of the 33 multidrug resistant E. coli isolated from surface waters of the Johor Straits, 81.8% were ESBL producers. The relative abundance of sul1, qnrA and intI1 genes were higher in sediments than surface waters. Among the surface water samples, higher concentrations (10^-1-10¹) of beta-lactamases (bla_SHV, bla_OXA, bla_CTX-M) were detected in the transect sites. This study highlights a potential antimicrobial resistance transmission chain from environmental waters, to animal carriers and humans.

Keywords: Antibiotic resistance genes; Fish farms; Microbial water quality; Multidrug resistant E. coli; Vibrio.

MeSH terms

Animals
Aquaculture*
Drug Resistance, Microbial / genetics*
Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial
Escherichia coli / drug effects
Escherichia coli / isolation & purification*
Humans
Singapore
Water Quality*