The goal of this study was to determine how surface and wastewater contribute to the contamination of the environment with an extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL E. coli). Water samples (n = 32) were collected from eight different locations of Islamabad and processed for microbiological and molecular analyses of E. coli and ESBL E. coli. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was carried out to determine the resistance pattern of the isolates. A total of 21 water samples were contaminated with E. coli and 15 isolates were identified as ESBL producers harboring bla_TEM (40%) and bla_CTX-M (33.33%) genes. Interestingly, all the ESBL E. coli isolates showed the least resistance against second-generation Cephalosporins compared to other generations. Moreover, the study showed that the aquatic environment is harboring multidrug-resistant E. coli; therefore, it may act as a source of transmission to humans. The recovery of ESBL E. coli isolates resistant to higher generation Cephalosporins, Monobactam, and Carbapenems from water samples indicated an alarming situation. Thus, there is an urgent need to treat water efficiently for microbial decontamination to minimize the transmission of antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacteria.

本研究的目的是确定地表和废水如何通过产生超广谱 β-内酰胺酶的大肠杆菌(ESBL大肠杆菌) 对环境造成污染。从伊斯兰堡的八个不同地点收集水样 ( n = 32)，并对其进行处理，以对大肠杆菌和 ESBL大肠杆菌进行微生物和分子分析。进行了抗菌药敏试验以确定分离株的耐药模式。共有 21 个水样被大肠杆菌污染， 15 个分离物被鉴定为携带bla _TEM (40%) 和bla _{CTX-M的 ESBL 生产者}(33.33%) 基因。有趣的是，与其他几代相比，所有 ESBL大肠杆菌分离株对第二代头孢菌素的耐药性最低。此外，该研究表明，水生环境中含有耐多药大肠杆菌；因此，它可能成为人类传播的来源。从水样中回收对高代头孢菌素、单环内酰胺和碳青霉烯类耐药的 ESBL大肠杆菌菌株表明情况令人担忧。因此，迫切需要有效地处理水以进行微生物净化，以尽量减少抗微生物 (AMR) 细菌的传播。