The Frequency of Fluoroquinolone Resistant Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli from Stools of Diarrheic Children in Ebonyi State, Nigeria
Abstract Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is an important cause of acute childhood diarrhea. The evaluation of ETEC in children is important for therapeutic and economic purposes. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the frequency of ETEC among diarrheic children, their multidrug and fluoroquinolone resistant pattern. A total of twenty diarrheagenic E. coli (DEC) isolates were gotten from hundred diarrheal samples using biochemical and molecular methods. Multiplex PCR was used to detect the presence of four different pathological types of DEC. Disk diffusion method was used to determine the antibiotic susceptibility of the organisms. Biofilm formation was detected by thiazoylblue tetrazolium bromide dye in a 96-well plate. Results showed that ETEC represented 30% of the DEC, of which 80% were multidrug and fluoroquinolone resistant. The biofilm production abilities of all the ETEC were found to exist within weak, moderate and strong biofilm producers. We observed a high ETEC frequency and rapid emergence of multidrug/fluoroquinolone resistance, suggesting that it is one of the most important causes of frequent drug resistant diarrhea in children in this region.