High clonal diversity of multidrug-resistant and extended spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli in a wastewater treatment plant

Increasing beta-lactam resistance has led to the exploration of different places, such as wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) which have been considered to be reservoirs and sources of bacterial resistance. This work aims to determine the presence of beta-lactamase-producing-Enterobacteriaceae in different points of a WWTP in Colombia. Six samplings were carried out in 2017 in the raw influent, aeration tanks, recycled sludge and final effluent of a WWTP. The beta-lactamase-producing-Enterobacteriaceae were detected and identified using phenotypic and molecular methods. Of the 353 isolates included, 28.3% corresponded to enterobacteria. The most frequent microorganisms were Escherichia coli (83%), Citrobacter freundii (11%) and Enterobacter cloacae complex (4%). The 97% of enterobacteriaceae had at least one beta-lactamase, and the most prevalent were the bla(TEM) (43.8%) and bla(CTX-M-1group) (35.8%) which were detected specially in recycled sludge and final effluent sample points. High percentage of multidrug resistance (to beta-lactams and non-beta-lactam antibiotics) was detected in E. coli (63.2%). Additionally, the typing by PFGE and MLST showed high genotypic diversity and the presence of the successful ST131 clone, globally spread. This work highlights the strong role of E. cob as a vector for the dissemination of resistance and the beta-lactamases in aquatic environments.