Assessment of the Bacterial Pollution and Detection of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Benin: Case of the Hydrographic Channel Complex Cotonou-Nokoué Lake

The study aims to document the level of contamination of the aquatic ecosystem of the Cotonou-Lake Nokoué canal hydrographic complex by multidrug-resistant bacteria and their resistance genes. For this purpose, water samples were taken from several points of the complex and from the sediments at the depth of the lake. Samples of several species of freshly caught fish products from the lake were also collected. Bacteriological analyses were carried out according to the AFNOR standard (NF U: 47–100). The identification of the different bacterial species isolated was then carried out using the API 20E gallery and specific biochemical tests. The antibiogram of the strains was performed according to the recommendations of the EUCAST. Molecular characterization of the identified strains was carried out by searching for resistance and virulence genes. The results obtained revealed the presence of several bacterial species in water samples and in sediment and intestine samples of fishery products with a predominance of Gram-negative bacilli. The resistance profile of Gram-negative bacilli showed a total resistance to metronidazole (100%). 23% of the strains were also resistant to ciprofloxacin, 41% to amoxicillin, and 60% to aztreonam. Of the Gram-positive cocci identified, 66% was resistant to vancomycin, 7.5% to ciprofloxacin, 71% to erythromycin, and 22% to tetracycline. Regarding the genes sought, blaTEM (46%), blaSHV (24%), and blaCTX-M-15 (31%) were present in the genome of Gram-negative bacilli as resistance genes and fimH (41%) as virulence gene. As for Gram-positive cocci, the van B gene was completely absent. The van A was present at 6.25% in Staphylococcus aureus and mecA at 21.88 and 33.33%, respectively, in Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci strains. The high resistance of isolated bacterial strains is a matter of concern and calls for a rational use of antibiotics in order to avoid the transmission of antibiotic resistance from the environment to humans.