The prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in surface water in Lebanon is a growing concern and understanding the mechanisms of the spread of resistance determinants is essential. We aimed at studying the occurrence of resistant bacteria and determinants in surface water sources in Lebanon and understanding their mobilization and transmission. Water samples were collected from five major rivers in Lebanon. A total of 91 isolates were recovered by incubating at 37°C on Blood and MacConkey agar out of which 25 were multi-drug resistant (MDR) and accordingly were further characterized. Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae were the most common identified MDR isolates. Conjugation assays coupled with in silico plasmid analysis were performed and validated using PCR-based replicon typing (PBRT) to identify and confirm incompatibility groups and the localization of β-lactamase encoding genes. Escherichia coli EC23 carried a bla_NDM-5 gene on a conjugative, multireplicon plasmid, while bla_CTX-M-15 and bla_TEM-1B were detected in the majority of the MDR isolates. Different sequence types (STs)were identified including the highly virulent E. coli ST131. Our results showed a common occurrence of bacterial contaminants in surface water and an increase in the risk for the dissemination of resistance determinants exacerbated with the ongoing intensified population mobility in Lebanon and the widespread lack of wastewater treatment.

中文翻译：

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黎巴嫩地表水源中抗菌素耐药性决定因素的传播

黎巴嫩地表水中抗生素耐药性细菌的流行越来越受到关注，了解耐药性决定因素的传播机制至关重要。我们旨在研究黎巴嫩地表水源中耐药细菌和决定因素的发生情况，并了解它们的动员和传播。从黎巴嫩的 5 条主要河流采集水样。通过在血液和 MacConkey 琼脂上 37°C 孵育，总共回收了 91 个分离株，其中 25 个具有多重耐药性 (MDR)，因此进一步表征。大肠杆菌和肺炎克雷伯菌是最常见的 MDR 分离株。偶联分析与in silico使用基于 PCR 的复制子分型 (PBRT) 进行质粒分析并进行验证，以识别和确认不相容性组和 β-内酰胺酶编码基因的定位。大肠杆菌EC23在接合、多复制子质粒上携带bla _NDM-5基因，而在大多数 MDR 分离株中检测到bla _CTX-M-15和bla _TEM-1B。鉴定了不同的序列类型 (ST)，包括高毒力的大肠杆菌ST131。我们的研究结果表明，地表水中细菌污染物的普遍存在和耐药性决定因素传播的风险增加，这加剧了黎巴嫩持续加剧的人口流动和普遍缺乏废水处理。