Vitus Silago (Mwanza / TZ), Katarina Oravcova (Mwanza / TZ), Louise Matthews (Mwanza / TZ), Stephen Mshana (Mwanza / TZ), Jeremiah Seni (Mwanza / TZ), Heike Claus (Mwanza / TZ)
Introduction: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a significant global health threat, necessitating regional-specific continuous surveillance to understand its dynamics and implications.
Goals: To respond to the changing landscape of AMR, a cross-sectional hospital-based study was conducted in two periods: June 2019 – June 2020, during the first Tanzania National Action Plan on AMR (NAP-AMR), and March – July 2023, after its completion.
Materials and Methods: Patients" sociodemographic and clinical data were collected by pre-tested structured questionnaires. A total of 2648 and 1929 samples (blood, urine, and pus) collected during and after NAP-AMR respectively, were cultured to isolate bacterial pathogens; identification was based on VITEK MS and 16S rDNA Sanger sequencing, and VITEK 2 was used to determine susceptibility towards antibiotic agents. Next-generation sequencing on the Illumina NextSeq 550 platform was used for sequencing ESBL E. coli (n=22) and ESBL K. pneumoniae (n=23) out of 64 and 79 ESBL strains, respectively isolated during NAP-AMR.
Results: ESBL-producing E. coli and K. pneumoniae phenotypes increased significantly after NAP-AMR [53.4%(134/268) vs. 73.8%(175/237), p<0.0001]. Specific increase for ESBL-E. coli [41.3%(64/155) vs. 61.7%(74/120), p=0.0084] and ESBL-K. pneumoniae [69.9%(79/113) vs. 85.5%(100/117), p=0.0057] was remarkable. E. coli ST 648 (40.9%, 9/22) and K. pneumoniae ST 280 (23.1%, 6/23) were predominant. The IncFII plasmid-replicon was predominantly found in both E. coli (68.2%, 15/22) and K. pneumoniae (65.2%, 15/23). The blaCTX-M-15 gene was found in 81.5% (18/22) E. coli and all 23 K. pneumoniae. The virulence genes yfcV, fyuA, sitA, and traT were found in 68.2%, 72.7%, 72.7%, and 77.3% of E. coli respectively while the virulence genes acrA/B, entA/B/C/E, fepA-D/G, fimA-I/K, and mrkA-D/F/H-J were found in all K. pneumoniae.
Summary: This study underscores the escalating threat of highly virulent strains of ESBL-producing E. coli and K. pneumoniae causing infections. The study advocates for the stringent implementation of IPC measures to curb the spread of antibiotic-resistant pathogens and associated public health risks.
We use cookies on our website. Cookies are small (text) files that are created and stored on your device (e.g., smartphone, notebook, tablet, PC). Some of these cookies are technically necessary to operate the website, other cookies are used to extend the functionality of the website or for marketing purposes. Apart from the technically necessary cookies, you are free to allow or not allow cookies when visiting our website.