Publication Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a serious threat to human, animal and plant health, and over recent years the role of the aquatic environment as a hotspot and dissemination route for resistant bacteria has been increasingly recognised. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has identified AMR as a critical area of concern; however, limited studies have been conducted regarding the presence of AMR in aquatic environments in the region. This study aimed to identify the presence and phenotypic and genotypic resistances in Escherichia coli (E. coli) isolates (n= 256) from sewage impacted and unimpacted coastal waters and artificial lakes across the UAE. Overall, 34.2% (n=101) of the isolates were multidrug resistant. Resistance to 3^rd and 4^th generation cephalosporins, cefotaxime and ceftazidime was at 22.7%, with 16.6% exhibiting the Extended Spectrum β-Lactamase (ESBL) phenotype. Resistance to other high priority critically important antimicrobials was noted included ciprofloxacin (40.7%), nalidixic acid (26.4%), azithromycin (8.5%), meropenem (2.7%), gentamicin (1.0%), colistin (0.7%), and tigecycline (0.34%). A subset of the E. coli isolates ware sequenced (n= 92). The fimH virulence gene was detected in majority of the isolates (89.1 %). IncF, IncA/C and IncY putative conjugative plasmids were identified. Sequenced E. coli isolates (39%) harboured qnrS1 and bla_CTX-M-15 resistance genes on conjugative plasmids. The bla_NDM-5 gene was first reported in a single isolate in environmental samples from UAE. The presence of resistant E. coli in the aquatic environment highlights the need for harmonised AMR surveillance and reporting, emphasising the importance of a regional monitoring framework.

Papadopoulou, A. ^1,2#* Ayoub Moubareck, C. ^3#, Ryder, D. ¹, Powell, A.^1,2, Stone, M.¹, Khan, M.A ³, Light, E⁴, Verner-Jeffreys⁵, D. W., Stahl, H.⁶⁺, and Le Quesne, W.J.F ¹⁺