Absence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 Serotype in Small Indian Mongooses (Herpestes auropunctatus) in Grenada and Antimicrobial Drug Resistance of the non-O157 Isolates
Victor A. Amadi *
Pathobiology Department, School of Veterinary Medicine, St. George’s University, True Blue, St. George’s, Grenada, West Indies.
Ulrike Zieger
Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology Department, School of Veterinary Medicine, St. George’s University, True Blue, St. George’s, Grenada, West Indies.
Ozioma A. Onyegbule
Department of Public Health and Preventative Medicine, School of Medicine, St. George’s University, True Blue, St. George’s, Grenada, West Indies.
Vanessa Matthew-Belmar
Pathobiology Department, School of Veterinary Medicine, St. George’s University, True Blue, St. George’s, Grenada, West Indies.
Ravindra Sharma
Pathobiology Department, School of Veterinary Medicine, St. George’s University, True Blue, St. George’s, Grenada, West Indies
Harry Hariharan
Pathobiology Department, School of Veterinary Medicine, St. George’s University, True Blue, St. George’s, Grenada, West Indies.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aim: To determine the occurrence of the E. coli including the O157:H7 serotype in mongooses and their antimicrobial drug resistance in Grenada.
Study Design: Experimental based study of feces of mongooses captured from six parishes of Grenada from April 2011 to March 2013 during an active rabies surveillance program.
Methodology: Fecal samples from 156 mongooses were cultured for E. coli and tested for O157:H7 serotype by the presence of non-sorbitol fermenting colonies and a positive reaction to O157-agglutination latex kits.
Results: Of the 156 mongooses, 71 (46%) were culture positive for E. coli. A total of 213 E. coli isolates were recovered and examined for the presence of non-sorbitol fermenting colonies and O157-agglutination. Of the 213 E. coli isolates, only 8 (4%) were non-sorbitol fermenters. However, none of the 213 isolates gave a positive reaction (O157-agglutinating) to the two E. coli O157:H7 latex kits. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests against 12 drugs revealed a low resistance rates to ampicillin (8%), amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (0.5%), ciprofloxacin (1.4%), enrofloxacin (2.3%), gentamicin (0.5%), nalidixic acid (3.3%), and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (5.6%). High resistance rates to streptomycin (38%) and tetracycline (36%) was observed among the E. coli isolates. The susceptibility rate to ampicillin, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, cefotaxime, ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, gentamicin, imipenem, nalidixic acid and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole ranged from 86.9 to 100%. Resistance to two or more antibiotics was observed in 57 (27%) of the E. coli isolates recovered.
Conclusion: This study showed that presently, mongooses in Grenada are neither a reservoir for the E. coli O157:H7 serotype nor for multiple drug resistant E. coli strains. Among the 213 non-O157:H7 E. coli isolates, the resistance rate to drugs other than streptomycin and tetracycline was very low.
Keywords: Mongooses, O157, H7, scherichia coli, drug resistance, Grenada.