Detection of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Source and Drinking Water Samples from a First Nations Community in Canada

Access to safe drinking water is now recognized as a human right by the United Nations. In developed countries like Canada, access to clean water is generally not a matter of concern. However, one in every five First Nations reserves is under a drinking water advisory, often due to unacceptable micr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Applied and environmental microbiology Vol. 82; no. 15; pp. 4767 - 4775
Main Authors:	Fernando, Dinesh M, Tun, Hein Min, Poole, Jenna, Patidar, Rakesh, Li, Ru, Mi, Ruidong, Amarawansha, Geethani E A, Fernando, W G Dilantha, Khafipour, Ehsan, Farenhorst, Annemieke, Kumar, Ayush
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	United States American Society for Microbiology 01-08-2016
Subjects:	Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology Bacteria - classification Bacteria - drug effects Bacteria - genetics Bacteria - isolation & purification Bacterial Proteins - genetics Bacterial Proteins - metabolism Canada Drinking water Drinking Water - chemistry Drinking Water - microbiology Drug resistance Drug Resistance, Bacterial Genetics Gram-negative bacteria Microbial Sensitivity Tests Native reservations Public and Environmental Health Microbiology Public health Water Quality Canada
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Summary:	Access to safe drinking water is now recognized as a human right by the United Nations. In developed countries like Canada, access to clean water is generally not a matter of concern. However, one in every five First Nations reserves is under a drinking water advisory, often due to unacceptable microbiological quality. In this study, we analyzed source and potable water from a First Nations community for the presence of coliform bacteria as well as various antibiotic resistance genes. Samples, including those from drinking water sources, were found to be positive for various antibiotic resistance genes, namely, ampC, tet(A), mecA, β-lactamase genes (SHV-type, TEM-type, CTX-M-type, OXA-1, and CMY-2-type), and carbapenemase genes (KPC, IMP, VIM, NDM, GES, and OXA-48 genes). Not surprisingly, substantial numbers of total coliforms, including Escherichia coli, were recovered from these samples, and this result was also confirmed using Illumina sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. These findings deserve further attention, as the presence of coliforms and antibiotic resistance genes potentially puts the health of the community members at risk. In this study, we highlight the poor microbiological quality of drinking water in a First Nations community in Canada. We examined the coliform load as well as the presence of antibiotic resistance genes in these samples. This study examined the presence of antibiotic-resistant genes in drinking water samples from a First Nations Community in Canada. We believe that our findings are of considerable significance, since the issue of poor water quality in First Nations communities in Canada is often ignored, and our findings will help shed some light on this important issue.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 Citation Fernando DM, Tun HM, Poole J, Patidar R, Li R, Mi R, Amarawansha GEA, Fernando WGD, Khafipour E, Farenhorst A, Kumar A. 2016. Detection of antibiotic resistance genes in source and drinking water samples from a First Nations community in Canada. Appl Environ Microbiol 82:4767–4775. doi:10.1128/AEM.00798-16.
ISSN:	0099-2240 1098-5336
DOI:	10.1128/aem.00798-16