Abstract

Understanding the genetic pathways behind antibiotic resistance is critical for developing effective preventative and control methods. Furthermore, identifying and characterizing antibiotic resistance genes (ARG) can aid in the development of novel antimicrobial medicines that target these unique resistance pathways. The goal of this study is to look at the pattern of antibiotic resistance genes in E. coli isolated from human urine at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Nigeria. Pathogens were isolated and identified using Eosin methylene blue agar. The disc diffusion test was used to assess antimicrobial sensitivity. The identification of the resistance genes encoding beta-lactamases (MBLs, ESBLs, and AmpC) and aminoglycoside modifying enzymes (AME) was done by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Out of 31 biochemically identified E. coli isolates, 24 (77%) were identified as E. coli using PCR and the remaining 7 (23%) as different bacteria. E. coli demonstrated 100% resistance to cefotaxime, cefuroxime, and imipenem, 97% resistance to ampicillin and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, 68% resistance to cefixime and 35% resistance to gentamycin using the disc diffusion technique. Other antimicrobial resistance (AR) traits were seen in fewer than 55% of the E. coli isolates. PCR screening revealed the presence of five genes among the isolates, namely blaCTX-M (26.9%), blaSHV (15.4%), blaEBC (23.1%), blaIMP (3.8%), and aac(3)I (30.8%). The aac(3)I gene was the most prevalent significantly (p-value < 0.001). The findings indicate a significant incidence of antimicrobial resistance in E. coli isolates, especially against certain antibiotics, indicating a possible issue with the efficacy of these medications in treating E. coli infections.