Determination of antibiotic resistance status of e.coli strains isolated from drinking and use water in Sakarya province

INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE: E.coli infections have become a serious problem worldwide. Increasing resistance to both artificial and natural antibiotics causes the disease to recur and become chronic, with the emergence of new and more serious diseases. This study aimed to determine whether E.coli, a source of fecal pollution in drinking water, poses a risk to human health. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study; 450 drinking water samples taken from the center and districts of Sakarya province were analyzed. 70 E.coli strains isolated from these drinking water; They were evaluated for their sensitivity to 16 (sixteen) different antibiotics. To determine the sensitivities, the disc diffusion method was used. RESULTS: 24.28% of the strains were found to be resistant to one or more antibiotics. The highest resistance rate among the strains was against amoxicillin-clavulanate with 24.28%, followed by ampicillin with 7.14%, cefoxitin with 4.29%, amikacin with 2.85%, ceftazidime, cefazolin, cefriaxone with 1.42%. It was observed that ciprofloxacin and gentamicin followed. The strains were observed to be 100% sensitive to piperacillin, cefepime, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, ertapenem, imipenem, meropenem, and aztreonam. The results of the E.coli ATCC 25922 reference strain used for control were found to be sensitive to all the antibiotics we used. CONCLUSION: As a result, the presence of E.coli, which is an indicator of fecal pollution, poses a risk to the public in drinking water, and surveillance studies on antibiotic resistance properties should be carried out, necessary efforts should be made to prevent environmental contamination and public awareness should be raised. Key Words: Antibiotic Resistance, E.coli, Fecal pollution, Drinking water, Sakarya