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Antimicrobial resistance surveillance among commensal Escherichia coli in rural and urban areas in Southern India
Author(s) -
Mathai Elizabeth,
Chandy Sujith,
Thomas Kurien,
Antoniswamy Belavendra,
Joseph Inbakumar,
Mathai Matthews,
Sorensen Thomas L.,
Holloway Kathleen
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
tropical medicine and international health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.056
H-Index - 114
eISSN - 1365-3156
pISSN - 1360-2276
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3156.2007.01969.x
Subject(s) - nitrofurantoin , nalidixic acid , tamil , antibiotic resistance , antimicrobial , drug resistance , ampicillin , microbiology and biotechnology , medicine , rural area , environmental health , veterinary medicine , biology , antibiotics , linguistics , philosophy , pathology
Summary Objective To assess antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Tamil Nadu, India. Methods Data on AMR of commensal and uropathogenic Escherichia coli were collected from one urban (Christian Medical College Hospital, Vellore) and one rural (CMCH Rural Unit for Health and Social Affairs) centre in Tamil Nadu at monthly intervals for 1 year. Results Forty‐two per cent of commensal E. coli was resistant to one or more of the tested antimicrobials. 8.4% were resistant to three drugs commonly used for the treatment of urinary tract infections, namely ampicillin, co‐trimoxazole and nalidixic acid. 1.5% of isolates were resistant to nitrofurantoin. There was no significant difference between resistance rates in commensal E. coli collected in rural and urban areas. Resistance was more common in infecting than commensal strains. Discussion Resistance to most antimicrobials is high both in urban and rural areas. Higher resistance to antimicrobials used widely for the treatment suggests that drug use contributes to it. Hence unnecessary use of antimicrobials must be avoided. Surveillance among commensal E. coli can be used to monitor changes in AMR over time.