Escherichia coli antimicrobial resistance variability in water runoff and soil from a remnant native prairie, an improved pasture, and a cultivated agricultural watershed

Abstract

Although many previous studies have examined patterns of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and multidrug resistance (MDR) from domestic animals and farm environments, comparatively little is known about the environmental sources and natural reservoirs of AMR and MDR. In this study, we collected stormwater runoff and soil samples from three watersheds in Texas. Escherichia coli (E. coli) were enumerated, isolated, and analyzed for resistance patterns. E. coli from all sites, irrespective of land use, displayed the presence of AMR/MDR. Higher levels of AMR/MDR were observed in water compared to soil. More isolates were resistant to cephalothin than other antibiotics. For water isolates, 94% was resistant to cephalothin, 27% to tetracycline, and 15% to ampicillin. Across all sites, a large percentage of water isolates demonstrated MDR with 34% resistant to ≥2 antibiotics and 11% to 3 antibiotics. All AMR soil isolates were resistant to cephalothin (87% of the total soil isolates), but only 8.9% were MDR. High cephalothin resistance observed in both soil and water suggests the presence of native, cephalothin-resistant E. coli. Higher MDR observed within water compared to the soil populations suggests that resistance sources other than soil, such as more recent fecal depositions as opposed to residual AMR in soil, could have contributed to higher antibiotic-resistant E. coli in runoff.