Dissemination of Resistance Integrons and Genes Coding for Blse and Cabapenemases in the Urban Drainage Network in Cote d’Ivoire

Antibiotic resistance has become a major threat to human health worldwide. Environment, particularly the water environment, has long been overlooked as a player in the antibiotic resistance cycle, although its role remains unclear. These can provide an ideal setting for the acquisition and dissemination of antibiotic resistance, as they are frequently affected by anthropogenic activities. The objective of this study was to establish a diffusion map of resistance integrons used as genetic markers of resistance associated with antibiotic resistance conferring genes (ARGs). Total DNA extracts from non-cultivable bacterial communities were used for the analyses. These communities were obtained from wastewater samples from 14 sites upstream and downstream of drainage channels or effluents in the cities of Abidjan, Bouaké, and Yamoussoukro. The results obtained correspond to the number of positives among the treated samples (n = 39). Among the genetic markers of dissemination, class 1 integrons were the most evident in 94.8% of samples in Abidjan (93.3%), Bouaké (100%) and Yamoussoukro (91.6%). Class 2 integrons and class 3 integrons were found respectively in 41% and 51% of all samples. Genes coding for β-lactamases and blaTEM was identified in almost all samples at a rate of 97.4%. A co-presence of the three genes blaTEM, blaSHV and blaCTX-M is also remarkable in the sites of the city of Yamoussoukro. Among the genes coding for carbapenemases, only blaKPC 17.94%, blaNDM 30.76% and blaOXA48 38.46% were detected in the samples.