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Marine sediments are a sink for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and antibiotic-resistant microbes (ARMs). Wastewater discharge into the aquatic environment is the dominant pathway for pharmaceuticals reaching aquatic organisms. Hence, the characterization of ARGs is a priority research area. This baseline study reports the presence of ARGs in 12 coastal sediment samples covering the urban coastline of Kuwait through whole-genome metagenomic sequencing. The presence of 402 antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) were recorded in these samples; the most prevalent were patA, adeF, ErmE, ErmF, TaeA, tetX, mphD, bcrC, srmB, mtrD, baeS, Erm30, vanTE, VIM-7, AcrF, ANT4-1a, tet33, adeB, efmA, and rpsL, which showed resistance against 34 drug classes. Maximum resistance was detected against the beta-lactams (cephalosporins and penam), and 46% of genes originated from the phylum Proteobacteria. Low abundances of ESKAPEE pathogens (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumonia, Acinetobacter baumanii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter sps., and Escherichia coli) were also recorded. Approximately 42% of ARGs exhibited multiple drug resistance. All the ARGs exhibited spatial variations. The major mode of action was antibiotic efflux, followed by antibiotic inactivation, antibiotic target alteration, antibiotic target protection, and antibiotic target replacement. Our findings supported the occurrence of ARGs in coastal marine sediments and the possibility of their dissemination to surrounding ecosystems.

This study presents antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Escherichia coli derived from marine sediment in Kuwait. In total, 395 isolates of E. coli obtained were screened for their potential resistance to five commonly deployed frontline antibiotics by using the disk diffusion method. The results demonstrated widespread resistance across all the sites and in 98% of isolates. The highest counts were recorded in the sediment collected from sites near outfalls associated with local hospitals, where 58% of isolates screened displayed resistance to different antibiotic classes. The resistance was highest to ampicilin (beta-lactame class) > cefpodoxime (3rd generation cephalosporin class) > ciprofloxacin (flouroqunolone class) with AMR observance at 95%, 67% and 50% respectively. The latter two are wide spectrum antibiotics heavily used in Kuwait. This study demonstrates the presence of AMR bacteria in Kuwait’s marine environment, suggesting a need for environmental surveillance for AMR to be adopted as part of a One Health approach to Kuwait’s developing AMR national action plan.