Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of Enterobacteriaceae isolated from domesticated animals and the environment in Lake Victoria, Kenya

Abstract

Faecal coliform levels in Lake Victoria waters progressively reduced away (0–150 m) from the lake shores. Enterobacter, Escherichia coli, Klebseilla, Proteus and Citrobacter were recovered at high frequencies from water and fish than domesticated animals. Goats, chicken, donkey and cattle are important reservoirs of E. coli susceptibility to antimicrobials varied, based on the bacterial species, with about 53.8% of the isolates showing resistance to at least one class of antibiotics. The study provides a picture of resistance factors readily retained by the Enterobacteriaceae within the basin and implies that the lake may be an important reservoir of antimicrobial resistance genes.