Antibiotic resistance profiles of coagulase-positive and coagulase-negative staphylococci from pit latrine fecal sludge in a peri-urban South African community

• Published in: Folia microbiologica 2018-09, Vol.63 (5), p.645-651
• Main Authors: Beukes, Lorika S., Schmidt, Stefan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acid resistance; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Antibiotic resistance; Antibiotics; Applied Microbiology; Bacterial Proteins - metabolism; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Chloramphenicol; Coagulase; Coagulase - metabolism; DNA, Bacterial - genetics; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; Environmental Engineering/Biotechnology; Feces; Feces - microbiology; Fusidic acid; Genes, Bacterial - genetics; Hygiene; Immunology; Life Sciences; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Microbial Viability - drug effects; Microbiology; Multidrug resistance; Original Article; Polymerase chain reaction; Poverty; Rural areas; Rural communities; Sanitation; Sewage - microbiology; Sludge; South Africa; Staphylococcus; Staphylococcus - drug effects; Staphylococcus - enzymology; Staphylococcus - genetics; Staphylococcus - isolation & purification; Toilet Facilities; Urban areas
• ISSN: 0015-5632; 1874-9356
• DOI: 10.1007/s12223-018-0605-4

The aim of this study was to assess pit latrine samples from a peri-urban community in KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) for the presence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Staphylococcus spp. Standard procedures were used to isolate Staphylococcus spp. from pit latrine fecal sludge samples, with confirmation at genus level by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Sixty-eight randomly selected pit latrine Staphylococcus spp. isolates were further characterized by using established disk diffusion procedures. An average Staphylococcus spp. count of 2.1 × 10 5  CFU per g fecal material was established using two randomly selected pit latrine samples. Of the 68-selected Staphylococcus spp. pit latrine isolates, 49% were identified as coagulase positive, 51% as coagulase negative and 65% (12 coagulase positive, 32 coagulase negative isolates) were categorized as MDR. The majority (66/68) of Staphylococcus spp. isolates displayed resistance to fusidic acid while only 5/68 isolates displayed resistance to chloramphenicol. The pit latrine samples analyzed in this study are a source of MDR Staphylococcus spp., highlighting the need for proper hygiene and sanitation regimes in rural communities using these facilities.