Antibioti-Resistant Coliforms in Fresh and Salt Water

Abstract

As assessment of the incidence of antibiotic-resistant coliforms present at sites along a fresh-water river system and within the salt-water bay into which it empties has been obtained, as well as a determimation of the frequency at which R factors account for the observable antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic-resistant colïforms were detected in nearly all of the fresh-water sites sampled and in about 50%. of the salt-water sites sampled. It was found that 20% of the 194 strains tested contained R factors carrying multiple antibiotic resistance which could be transferred to-sensitive Salmonella typhimurlum Shigella dysenteriae, and Escherichia coll. of particular interest was the detection of coliforms containing R factors carrying resistance to chloramphenicol.