Determination of Phylogroups, Pathotypes and Antibiotic Resistance Profiles of <i>E. coli</i> Isolates from Freshwater and Wastewater in the City of Panama
Untreated water bodies are critical ecological niches where environmental conditions can drive the adaptive evolution of bacterial populations, enabling them to acquire new traits such as antibiotic-resistance genes. <i>Escherichia coli</i> is typically a commensal bacterium but can evol...
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2025-06-01
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| author | Gabriela A. Rodríguez Guevara Emmanuel Michelangelli Juan R. Medina-Sánchez Fermín Mejía-Meléndez Carmen Indira Espino José E. Moreno P. Alex O. Martínez Torres Jordi Querol-Audí |
| author_facet | Gabriela A. Rodríguez Guevara Emmanuel Michelangelli Juan R. Medina-Sánchez Fermín Mejía-Meléndez Carmen Indira Espino José E. Moreno P. Alex O. Martínez Torres Jordi Querol-Audí |
| author_sort | Gabriela A. Rodríguez Guevara |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Untreated water bodies are critical ecological niches where environmental conditions can drive the adaptive evolution of bacterial populations, enabling them to acquire new traits such as antibiotic-resistance genes. <i>Escherichia coli</i> is typically a commensal bacterium but can evolve into a pathogenic form, known as Diarrheagenic <i>E. coli</i>, responsible for both intestinal and extraintestinal diseases. This study focuses on the characterization of <i>E. coli</i> isolates from water samples collected from the Matasnillo River and the influence of the Juan Díaz Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). While isolates from the Matasnillo River were classified as commensal, 18% of the isolates from the WWTP belonged to either phylogroups D or B2. Pathotype analysis revealed the presence of Entero-Toxigenic and Entero-Hemorrhagic <i>E. coli</i> in the WWTP. Moreover, Matasnillo River isolates exhibited resistance mainly to the quinolone ciprofloxacin, whereas those from the WWTP influent showed resistance to multiple broad-spectrum antibiotics. Sequencing analysis revealed the prevalence of the transmissible quinolone resistance <i>qnrB19</i> among the Matasnillo River isolates and mutations conferring resistance to quinolone in <i>gyrA</i>, <i>parC</i>, and <i>parE</i>. These findings highlight the importance of monitoring antibiotic-resistant bacterial contamination in both freshwater and wastewater to mitigate the risk of the spread of resistant pathogens and potential epidemic outbreaks. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8b3f91ac780944f3af0efabc65abe07f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-0817 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pathogens |
| spelling | doaj-art-8b3f91ac780944f3af0efabc65abe07f2025-08-20T03:56:46ZengMDPI AGPathogens2076-08172025-06-0114761710.3390/pathogens14070617Determination of Phylogroups, Pathotypes and Antibiotic Resistance Profiles of <i>E. coli</i> Isolates from Freshwater and Wastewater in the City of PanamaGabriela A. Rodríguez Guevara0Emmanuel Michelangelli1Juan R. Medina-Sánchez2Fermín Mejía-Meléndez3Carmen Indira Espino4José E. Moreno P.5Alex O. Martínez Torres6Jordi Querol-Audí7Laboratory of Experimental and Applied Microbiology, Universidad de Panamá, Panama City 7096, PanamaLaboratory of Experimental and Applied Microbiology, Universidad de Panamá, Panama City 7096, PanamaLaboratory of Experimental and Applied Microbiology, Universidad de Panamá, Panama City 7096, PanamaLaboratory of Experimental and Applied Microbiology, Universidad de Panamá, Panama City 7096, PanamaDepartment of Human Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Panamá, Panama City 7096, PanamaBioscience and Biotechnology Doctorate, Technological University of Panamá, Panama City 7095, PanamaLaboratory of Experimental and Applied Microbiology, Universidad de Panamá, Panama City 7096, PanamaLaboratory of Experimental and Applied Microbiology, Universidad de Panamá, Panama City 7096, PanamaUntreated water bodies are critical ecological niches where environmental conditions can drive the adaptive evolution of bacterial populations, enabling them to acquire new traits such as antibiotic-resistance genes. <i>Escherichia coli</i> is typically a commensal bacterium but can evolve into a pathogenic form, known as Diarrheagenic <i>E. coli</i>, responsible for both intestinal and extraintestinal diseases. This study focuses on the characterization of <i>E. coli</i> isolates from water samples collected from the Matasnillo River and the influence of the Juan Díaz Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). While isolates from the Matasnillo River were classified as commensal, 18% of the isolates from the WWTP belonged to either phylogroups D or B2. Pathotype analysis revealed the presence of Entero-Toxigenic and Entero-Hemorrhagic <i>E. coli</i> in the WWTP. Moreover, Matasnillo River isolates exhibited resistance mainly to the quinolone ciprofloxacin, whereas those from the WWTP influent showed resistance to multiple broad-spectrum antibiotics. Sequencing analysis revealed the prevalence of the transmissible quinolone resistance <i>qnrB19</i> among the Matasnillo River isolates and mutations conferring resistance to quinolone in <i>gyrA</i>, <i>parC</i>, and <i>parE</i>. These findings highlight the importance of monitoring antibiotic-resistant bacterial contamination in both freshwater and wastewater to mitigate the risk of the spread of resistant pathogens and potential epidemic outbreaks.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/14/7/617<i>E. coli</i>antibiotic resistancephylogroupspathotypesfreshwaterwastewater |
| spellingShingle | Gabriela A. Rodríguez Guevara Emmanuel Michelangelli Juan R. Medina-Sánchez Fermín Mejía-Meléndez Carmen Indira Espino José E. Moreno P. Alex O. Martínez Torres Jordi Querol-Audí Determination of Phylogroups, Pathotypes and Antibiotic Resistance Profiles of <i>E. coli</i> Isolates from Freshwater and Wastewater in the City of Panama Pathogens <i>E. coli</i> antibiotic resistance phylogroups pathotypes freshwater wastewater |
| title | Determination of Phylogroups, Pathotypes and Antibiotic Resistance Profiles of <i>E. coli</i> Isolates from Freshwater and Wastewater in the City of Panama |
| title_full | Determination of Phylogroups, Pathotypes and Antibiotic Resistance Profiles of <i>E. coli</i> Isolates from Freshwater and Wastewater in the City of Panama |
| title_fullStr | Determination of Phylogroups, Pathotypes and Antibiotic Resistance Profiles of <i>E. coli</i> Isolates from Freshwater and Wastewater in the City of Panama |
| title_full_unstemmed | Determination of Phylogroups, Pathotypes and Antibiotic Resistance Profiles of <i>E. coli</i> Isolates from Freshwater and Wastewater in the City of Panama |
| title_short | Determination of Phylogroups, Pathotypes and Antibiotic Resistance Profiles of <i>E. coli</i> Isolates from Freshwater and Wastewater in the City of Panama |
| title_sort | determination of phylogroups pathotypes and antibiotic resistance profiles of i e coli i isolates from freshwater and wastewater in the city of panama |
| topic | <i>E. coli</i> antibiotic resistance phylogroups pathotypes freshwater wastewater |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/14/7/617 |
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