Resistance to metal ions and antibiotics in Escherichia coli isolated from foodstuffs

• Published in: Journal of medical microbiology Vol. 32; no. 4; pp. 223 - 226
• Main Authors: Grewal, J. S, Tiwari, R. P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Reading Soc General Microbiol 01.08.1990; Society for General Microbiology
• Subjects: Action of physical and chemical agents on bacteria; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Drug Resistance; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Escherichia coli - drug effects; Food Microbiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Metals - pharmacology; Microbiology; Characterization; Resistance; Antibiotic; Escherichia coli; Metal ion; Bacteria; Isolate; Isolation; Escherichieae; Enterobacteriaceae; Food
• ISSN: 0022-2615; 1473-5644
• DOI: 10.1099/00222615-32-4-223

Department of Microbiology, Basic Medical Sciences Building, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India * Correspondence should be sent to Dr R. P. Tiwari. Received December 18, 1989 Accepted December 29, 1989 Of 39 strains of Escherichia coli isolated from foodstuffs, all were resistant to at least one of a panel of four metallic ions tested. The most common resistance (94.9%) was against cadmium, followed by arsenate (76.9%), silver (71.8%) and mercury (61.5%). Multiple resistance to three (35.9%) or four (38.5%) metals was seen more often than resistance to two (18%) or one (7.7%) metal only. The opposite trend was seen in antibiotic resistance; resistance to one (30%) or two (49%) antibiotics was more common than to three or more antibiotics (13%). Resistance to kanamycin correlated with resistance to silver and cadmium ions and resistance to ampicillin or cephalothin was, with one exception, associated with resistance to cadmium ions.