Antimicrobial resistance of commensal Escherichia coli strains in children of two rural communities in Peru

Abstract

Antibiotic resistance is a major global problem. The objective of this study was to determine antibiotic resistance in commensal strains isolated from healthy children from rural communities of Moyobamba and Urubamba in Peru. This cohort study identified 179 commensal E. coli strains from 93 children, followed for six months. Thirteen antibiotics were analyzed by diffusion disk. The highest rates of resistance were for cotrimoxazole (49.1%), ampicillin (48.0%), and nalidixic acid (31.8%). An 11.6% increase in resistance was found for nalidixic acid and 6.4% for cotrimoxazole in this period; while 34.0% of the isolates were multidrug-resistant. This study supports previous findings of multidrug resistance in commensal strains in rural communities and highlights the increased rates of resistance over time. We recommend studies in larger populations with a longer follow-up.