Characterization of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacilli isolated from hospitals effluents: first report of a blaOXA-48-like in Klebsiella oxytoca, Algeria

The antibiotic susceptibility profile and antimicrobial resistance determinants were characterized on Gram-negative bacilli (GNB) isolated from Algerian hospital effluents. Among the 94 isolates, Enterobacteriaceae was the predominant family, with Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae being the most isolated species. In non-Enterobacteriaceae, Acinetobacter and Aeromonas were the predominant species followed by Pseudomonas, Comamonas, Pasteurella, and Shewanella spp. The majority of the isolates were multidrug-resistant (MDR) and carried different antimicrobial resistance genes including bla(CTX-M), bla(TEM), bla(SHV), bla(OXA-48)-like, bla(OXA-23), bla(OXA-51), qnrB, qnrS, tet(A), tet(B), tet(C), dfrA1, aac(3)-IIc (aacC2), aac(6)-1b, sul1, and sul2. The qacE1-sul1 and intI2 signatures of class 1 and class 2 integrons, respectively, were also detected. Microarray hybridization on MDR E. coli revealed additional resistance genes (aadA1 and aph3strA, tet30, mphA, dfrA12, bla(cmy2), bla(ROB1), and cmlA1) and classified the tested strains as commensals, thus highlighting the potential role of humans in antibiotic resistance dissemination. This study is the first report of bla(OXA-48)-like in Klebsiella oxytoca in Algeria and bla(OXA-23) in A. baumannii in Algerian hospital effluents. The presence of these bacteria and resistance genes in hospital effluents represents a serious public health concern since they can be disseminated in the environment and can colonize other hosts.