McChesney, Dennis J.. In vitro induction of multi-antibiotic resistant phenotypes in staphyloccocus aureus by exposure to environmental waters. Retrieved from https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T31836TJ
DescriptionIn vitro exposure of Staphylococcus aureus strain ATTC 9144 for 10-days to environmental water samples including ambient fresh water and wastewater treatment plant influents and effluents increased the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) values versus the controls in 11of the 51 (22%) samples assayed. Increases in the MIC values for all of the assayed antibiotics were observed in more than one sample. Antibiotic resistance, as measured by an increase in the MIC values greater than or equal to 4 times the control sample MIC value, was observed most frequently for tetracycline (22%) and the beta lactam ampicillin, (20%), and the beta lactam methicillin (18%). The aminoglycoside, kanamycin, increased the MIC values least frequently (9%). Methicillin was co-resistant with ampicillin and tetracycline in all of the methicillin resistant samples. For other antibiotics assayed for their MIC values in Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 9144 after exposure to environmental waters, all displayed multi-antibiotic resistance with ampicillin and tetracycline resistance, suggesting a common origin or assembly of resistance traits. Vancomycin resistance was present in 10% of the 40 samples assayed for its MIC, and coexisted with methicillin resistance in 75% of the vancomycin resistant samples.