Introduction:

Escherichia coli, a Gram-negative bacillus, is found in diverse environments and causes several human diseases, such as pneumonia and urinary tract infections. Aminoglycosides are antimicrobials that present high activity against Gram-negative species, including multidrug-resistant pathogens. However, the indiscriminate use of these compounds has selected resistant microorganisms, mainly due to the production of aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes (AME).

Material and methods:

The minimal inhibitory concentration of the aminoglycosides amikacin, gentamicin, and neomycin against clinical (CI, n = 52, only urinary) and domestic sewage (DS, n = 33) E. coli isolates was determined by the microdilution method, according to the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing. The presence of AMEs among E. coli isolates was determined based on the susceptibility profile to amikacin, gentamicin, kanamycin, and tobramycin, according to Mancini et al. (2019).

Results:

Overall, 33.3% of the DS isolates and 100% of the CI isolates presented mechanisms of resistance to amikacin, gentamicin, or neomycin. The extended-spectrum beta-lactamase enzymes-producing isolates (23/27, 85%) showed mechanisms of resistance to gentamicin and/or neomycin and resistance to amikacin was simultaneously observed only in CI isolates. All DS isolates were considered wild-type-no AME, while APH (3') (14/52) and AAC (3') (10/52) enzymes were detected among CI isolates, one of which produces APH (3') and AAC (6')-I simultaneously.

Conclusion:

Resistance to aminoglycosides is present among E. coli isolates in Brazil, but to a lesser extent in environmental isolates. Besides, AMEs are frequent in CI isolates, and surveillance for antimicrobial resistance should be implemented to monitor aminoglycoside-resistant E. coli infections.