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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Athens, Georgia » U.S. National Poultry Research Center » Poultry Microbiological Safety and Processing Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #397381
Research Project: Alternatives to Antibiotics and Genomics of Antimicrobial Resistance to Control Foodborne Pathogens in Poultry

Location: Poultry Microbiological Safety and Processing Research Unit

Title: Freshwater environment as a reservoir of extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producing enterobacteriaceae

Author
item CHO, SOHYUN - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA)
item Jackson, Charlene
item Frye, Jonathan

Submitted to: Journal of Applied Microbiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/13/2023
Publication Date: 2/20/2023
Citation: Cho, S., Jackson, C.R., Frye, J.G. 2023. Freshwater environment as a reservoir of extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producing enterobacteriaceae. Journal of Applied Microbiology. https://doi.org/10.1093/jambio/lxad034 .
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jambio/lxad034

Interpretive Summary: Extended-spectrum ß-lactamase (ESBL)-producing bacteria are resistant to certain kinds of ß-lactam antibiotics, such as ceftriaxone, which is often used to treat bacterial infections. ESBL-producing bacteria, such as Enterobacteriaceae, are a global health problem due to their rapid spread worldwide. Previous studies have shown that ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae are present not only in healthcare settings and in the community, but also in aquatic environments like surface waters, streams, and rivers. ESBL-producing bacteria have traditionally been considered a clinical problem, however, their presence in the environment has gained attention as an exposure route for humans through direct or indirect contact with water. The objective of this review is to enhance our knowledge on the role of the freshwater environment as a reservoir of ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae. This review focuses on the prevalence and dissemination of ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae in the freshwater environment, with a special emphasis on their global distribution and potential sources.

Technical Abstract: Surface water receives large quantities of wastes from human and animal sources, thus providing an ideal setting for the accumulation, development, and dissemination of antibiotic resistant bacteria, including extended-spectrum ß-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae. The rapid spread of ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae, particularly E. coli and K. pneumoniae, is a growing threat to public health, and they are also widespread in aquatic environments all over the globe. The objective of this review is to understand the extent of ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae contamination in aquatic environments and to enhance our knowledge on the role of the freshwater environment as a reservoir and transmission routes for these bacteria. In this review, we present the prevalence and distribution of ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae and their ESBL genes in the freshwater environment, potential sources of these bacteria in the aquatic environment, as well as their potential drivers in the environment, including anthropogenic and environmental factors.