New findings in water and health described from University of Catania.

"A total of 273 Escherichia coli isolates from raw and treated municipal wastewaters were investigated to evaluate the frequency and persistence of antibiotic resistance and to detect the occurrence of conjugative R plasmids and integrons. The highest resistance rates were against ampicillin (22.71%), tetracycline (19.41%), sulfamethoxazole (16.84%) and streptomycin (14.28%)," scientists writing in the Journal of Water and Health report.

"Multiple antibiotic resistance was present in 24.17% of the isolates. Several multiple antibiotic-resistant isolates proved to be able to transfer en bloc their resistance patterns by conjugative R plasmids with different molecular …