99th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology May 30 - June 3, 1999
Chicago, Illinois
Embargoed until date of presentation.
For more information on any presentation at the 99th General Meeting contact Jim Sliwa, ASM Communications at [email protected].
Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria in U.S. Rivers (Session 296, Paper Q383) Ronald Ash Washburn Univ. 785-231-1010 [email protected]
Water samples from 15 major U.S. rivers at 21 different sites revealed the presence of naturally-occurring antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The number of resistant bacteria varied from site to site and changes in the bacterial populations were noted throughout the year in some locations. The isolated organisms represented a variety of bacterial species which are not normally considered disease-producing to healthy persons but many of these organisms may have the capability of transferring the resistance genes to other, potentially virulent, bacteria.
This study was performed by Dr. Ronald Ash, a professor of biology at Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas. Three undergraduate students who are listed as coauthors on the paper participated in the project. The study, presented at the National meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in Chicago on June 3, was funded by the Washburn University Research Committee.
Many of the bacteria isolated from the rivers were found to be resistant to several antibiotics commonly used for treating clinical infections. This was not totally unexpected since bacteria con develop resistance to antibiotic substances found in their natural environment. Soil, for example, provides a number of organisms capable of producing such antibacterial substances. The present study provides a baseline for future analyses. Regular monitoring of natural bodies of water will determine whether changes have occurred in bacterial populations to which persons using the water for recreational or industrial purposes have been exposed.
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