Virulent gene profile and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) from humans in Maiduguri, Borno State, North-Eastern Nigeria

Abstract

Prevalence and distribution of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) serogroups majorly linked with public health hazards in Maiduguri and the antimicrobial resistance pattern profile of the isolates were determined. Our results show that the prevalence of STEC isolated from human patients with gastroenteritis attending hospitals in Maiduguri was 1.2% of the 600 stool specimens examined. Two patients out of the seven STEC positive isolates had diarrhoea, and no significant statistical association (P < 0.05) was found between STEC positive samples and diarrheal disease. There was significant (P < 0.05) variation in the prevalence of STEC among the age groups. However, there were statistical differences (P < 0.05) between the detection rates of the four serogroups encountered. Five (71.4%) of the E. coli O157 strain showed resistance to at least one of the antimicrobials tested. The only STEC O157 isolate from humans showed resistance to gentamycin, ampicillin, streptomycin and cefotaxime. The results of the antimicrobial susceptibility study showed high resistance (71%) profile to the agents tested. However, all the seven isolates from humans were sensitive to ceftazidime, ceftriaxone and chloramphenicol. In conclusion, the study did not demonstrate significant influence of sex but it did document the presence of stx2 genes in 14.2% and stx1 in 85.7% of the isolates and other genes detected in this study were eae and ehlyA among the isolates. Therefore, ceftazidime, ceftriaxone and chloramphenicol may be drugs of choice for treating infections caused by STEC in Maiduguri.

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