Antibiotic resistance indexing of Escherichia coli to identify sources of fecal contamination in water

Abstract

A total of 202 Escherichia coli isolated from urban and rural water were tested with 11 antibiotics to assess the prevalence of antibiotic resistance from each source. Urban waters harbored higher percentages of resistant E. coli strains than rural waters. Antibiotic-resistant E. coli may offer an index of water quality related to source.