María J Pons

Publications (2)3.03 Total impact

• Article: Molecular mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli isolated from children.

  Susan Mosquito, Joaquim Ruiz, María J Pons, David Durand, Francesca Barletta, Theresa J Ochoa
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  ABSTRACT: Diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) are an important cause of diarrhoea in children and are associated with high antibiotic resistance. However, there are few studies on the molecular mechanisms of resistance in this group of bacteria. The aim of this study was to determine the mechanisms associated with antibiotic resistance in the most common phenotypes of DEC. A total of 369 E. coli strains [commensal strains and DEC from children with ('DEC-diarrhoea') or without ('DEC-control') diarrhoea] isolated from children aged <1 year in periurban districts of Lima, Peru, were analysed. In total, 154 ampicillin-resistant strains (36 commensals, 33 DEC-control and 85 DEC-diarrhoea) were studied by PCR for the most prevalent resistance mechanisms to ampicillin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (SXT), tetracycline and chloramphenicol as well as for integrase types 1 and 2. In addition, restriction fragment length polymorphism was performed for SXT-resistant strains. Commensal strains were more frequently resistant to nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin (68% and 28%, respectively) than DEC strains (23% and 2%, respectively) (P<0.05). DEC-diarrhoea strains were more frequently SXT-resistant (78%) compared with DEC-control strains (65%) and commensal strains (60%) (P<0.05). The most frequent mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in DEC strains were: for β-lactams, bla(TEM) (31%; 37/118); for SXT, sul2 (48%; 49/103); for tetracycline, tetA (27%; 23/84); and for chloramphenicol, cat (80%; 28/35). The genes sul1 and dfrA1, related to SXT resistance, were more frequent in the DEC-diarrhoea group (41% and 28%, respectively) than in the other two groups (P<0.05). There was a high diversity of resistance genes in DEC, including symptomatic strains.
  International journal of antimicrobial agents 10/2012; · 3.03 Impact Factor
• Article: [Levels of quinolones resistance and other antimicrobial in non-pathogenic Escherichia coli strains in children from the periurban area of Lima, Peru].

  María J Pons, Susan Mosquito, Theresa J Ochoa, Martha Vargas, Margarita Molina, Angela Lluque, Ana I Gil, Lucie Ecker, Francesca Barletta, Claudio F Lanata, Luis J Del Valle, Joaquim Ruiz
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  ABSTRACT: The main aim of this study was to establish the resistance levels to antimicrobial agents, in 222 non-pathogenic E. coli strains of fecal origin in Peru. The proportion of resistance found to the evaluated antimicrobials was ampicillin (62.6%), cotrimoxazole (48,6%), tetracycline (43,0%) and chloramphenicol (15,8%). We emphasize the high resistance levels found for quinolones: 32% for nalidixic acid (NAL) and 12% for ciprofloxacin (CIP). These high levels of quinoloneresistance in non-pathogenic strains isolated from children in this age group highlight the extensive use and the impact of the intake of this kind of antimicrobials in the community, showing the potential risk of the loss of their utility in the area.
  Revista peruana de medicina experimental y salud publica 03/2012; 29(1):82-6.