Background: Increasing rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threaten global public health. Colistin is an antibiotic of the class polymyxins and is currently reserved as a last-resort antibiotic for multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. E. coli that are resistant to colistin have been shown to harbor, for example, the mcr-1 gene which was detected in clinical and agricultural settings. However, the relationship between colistin-resistant E. coli and their genetic aspects as well as resistance to currently used antibiotics is poorly understood. Results: Fifteen strains of E. coli have been isolated from chicken samples from independent locations in Qatar and various characteristics have been studied including the IC50 of colistin, mcr-1 detection, resistance to oxidative stress using arsenite, menadione, and hydrogen peroxide, as well as currently used antibiotics meropenem and tazocin in addition to bioinformatics analysis using whole genome sequencing. The mcr-1 gene was detected in all 15 strains and these strains also showed various resistance to other tested agents but were susceptible to meropenem and tazocin, suggesting that these later antibiotics are still effective for treatments. In addition, bioinformatics analysis showed the presence of other antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) alongside mcr-1 including genes that code for multi-drug efflux pumps that could explain the resistance to other tested compounds. Conclusion: Studying bacterial genetic components in parallel with antimicrobial resistance could help to identify novel genes encoding drug resistance.
| Date of Award | 2025 |
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| Original language | American English |
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| Awarding Institution | - HBKU College of Health & Life Sciences
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Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns of Colistin-Resistant E. coli from Chicken Samples from Qatar
Al-Mesaifri, A. (Author). 2025
Student thesis: Master's Dissertation