Pseudomonas aeruginosa is responsible for a number of opportunistic and nosocomial infections. However, very little information is available on the ecology of P. aeruginosa in water environments and its association with antimicrobial resistance. In this study, the distribution of P. aeruginosa and the resistance of P. aeruginosa isolates to various antibiotics were investigated from two rivers, Kiyotake and Yae that flow through Miyazaki City, Japan. P. aeruginosa was distributed widely along the river basins with counts ranging from 2-46 cfu/100 mL. The susceptibility of P. aeruginosa isolates collected from the rivers to various antibiotics was examined by minimum inhibitory concentration. Multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa strains were not observed or isolated from either river. However, one piperacillin-resistant P. aeruginosa was detected among a total of 516 isolates, and this isolate was also resistant to cefotaxime and showed intermediate resistance to cefitazidime. Less than 1% of all isolates (n=5) were resistant to imipenem, which is the most effective antibiotic against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. However, all P. aeruginosa isolates were completely resistant to tetracyclines, which are the most commonly prescribed antibiotics. In advanced nations such as Japan where the majority of the population is urban and where medical services are widespread, antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as P. aeruginosa are likely to be widely distributed, even in apparently pristine rivers.
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