Antimicrobial Resistance of Escherichia coli Isolates from Mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis Farms and Inland Pollution Sources in the Changseon Area, Korea

In this study, we isolated and characterized Escherichia coli from mussels and inland pollution sources in or in proximity to the Changseon area on the southern coast of Korea in 2014. A total of 147 strains of E. coli were isolated from 54 mussels and 32 pollution-source samples. The susceptibility of the isolates to 24 antimicrobial agents was analyzed. The resistance of E. coli isolates to rifampin was highest at 100%, followed by cephalothin (98.6%), tetracycline (91.8%), amikacin (81.0%), ampicillin (79.6%), cefazolin (79.6%), streptomycin (73.5%), piperacillin (70.7%), gentamicin (37.4%), cefoxitin (35.4%), cefamandole (34.7%), tobramycin (29.9%), amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (24.5%), nalidixic acid (21.8%), trimethoprim (19.0%), chloramphenicol (17.7%), cefotaxime (12.9%), trimethoprim (10.9%), ceftazidime (10.2%), aztreonam (7.5%), imipenem (2.7%), cefepime (2.0%), and cefotetan (0.0%). In addition, the antimicrobial resistance of E. coli isolates from inland pollution sources was slightly greater than or similar to that of isolates from mussels.