Detection of Antibiotic Resistance in Enterococcus spp. by Growth Kinetics Measurements in the Presence of Vancomycin Using the Detection System from TECTA-PDS

Abstract

The spread of antibiotic resistant organisms has increased in different water environments. This originates from the disposal of antibiotics from hospital wastes, irrigation from farms, domestic antibiotic drug disposal in sewage, pharmaceutical production wastes and effluents from wastewater treatment plants. Antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) are capable of spreading their genes into water indigenous microbes, circulating in the water environment and potentially altering microbial ecosystems. Antibiotic resistance in water environments are considered contaminants of emerging concerns (CEC), based on the UN and WHO groups and as such becoming a major global health issue in the future. This project focuses on establishing a rapid, cost effective and easy-to-use, on-site method that will aid in quantifying the ARB, specifically vancomycin resistant Enterococcus (VRE), in water using TECTATM pathogen detection system. This method can potentially be incorporated as part of on site and in lab water quality controls and monitoring assessments. Specifically, this project focuses on establishing a resistance profile for 160 Enterococcus spp. isolates from local wastewater treatment plants for their resistance to vancomycin using the microdilution assay method. The resistance profile established will be used to assess the accuracy of the TECTA system from TECTA-PDS (Kingston, ON). The TECTA system as a new detection method for ARB, has proved to be effective in detecting the growth of Enterococcus spp. isolates in the presence of low and high concentrations of vancomycin. In comparison to the microdilution assay, the TECTA instrument detected resistance in isolates with an 86.8% agreement with the microdilution assay and a specifically designating resistance at 32 mg/L vancomycin level at a 76.3% agreement.