Acquired Antimicrobial Resistance Genes of Escherichia coli Obtained from Nigeria: In silico Genome Analysis

Background: Antimicrobial resistance is a global problem with enormous public health and economic impact. This study was carried out to get an overview of acquired antimi-crobial resistance gene sequences in the genomes of E. coli isolated from different food sources and the environment in Nigeria. Methods: To determine the acquired antimicrobial-resistant genes prevalence, genome assemblies of 272 isolates were analyzed In silico with KmerResistance 2.2 software. Results: A total of 107 antimicrobial resistance genes, which included genes that encode for 24 extended-spectrum beta-lactamases were detected. Potential multidrug resistance was found in 90% of the genomes analyzed. All strains analyzed contained at least one resistant gene sequence and had high similarity or homology (95% ID and above). Two strains harboured over 30 sequences of antimicrobial resistant genes, and in 24 strains over 20 genes were detected. Conclusion: The resistant genes found in all the genomes analyzed were acquired intra-species and not inter-species. This provides an opportunity for further studies of the orthologous nature of the genes detected and the data obtained can help monitor the epi-demiology of E. coli resistant genes in the food and environment.