Characterization of Escherichia coli from Water and Food Sold on the Streets of Maputo: Molecular Typing, Virulence Genes, and Antibiotic Resistance

The aim of this study was to investigate the pathogenic potential and antibiotic resistance 59 Escherichia coli isolates from ready-to-eat (RTE) street food (n = 31) drinking water 28) sold in city Maputo, Mozambique. were characterized by XbaI subtyping analysis via pulsed field gel electrophoresis. Multiplex PCRs performed targeting five virulence genes (stx, lt, st, astA, eae) three groups antibiotic-resistant genes, namely ß-lactamases (extended-spectrum ß-lactamase AmpC), tetracycline (tetA, tetB, tetM) sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (sul1, sul2, sul3). stx gene, encoding Shiga/Vero (VT) toxin produced verotoxin-producing E. (VTEC), identified with similar frequency (5/31) (6/28). highest percentages resistant found for ß-lactams imipenem (35.5 39.3%, respectively) ampicillin (39.3 46.4%, respectively). Multidrug observed 31.3% isolates, being higher (45.5%) compared RTE (19.2%). Virulence detected 73% multidrug-resistant isolates. Concerning ESBL most frequent (57.7%) among β-lactamases while tetA (50%) non-β-lactamases.