The Effects of Antibiotics on the Survival of Escherichia coli in Untreated and Filtered-Autoclaved Lake Water at Different Temperatures

Authors: Reşit ÖZKANCA, Ken P. FLINT

Abstract: The effects of the addition of eukaryotic inhibitors (cycloheximide, nystatin) and some prokaryotic inhibitors (ampicillin, kanamycin, spectinomycin, streptomycin, and neomycin) on the survival of Escherichia coli in filtered-autoclaved and untreated lake water under starvation stress were studied. While cycloheximide and nystatin did not show a significant effect on E. coli survial, neomycin increased survival inthe presence of natural microbial flora. The effects of antibiotics on the survial of E. coli under nutrient-limited conditions are invesely related to incubation temperatures. Furthermore the viability of E. coli still remained high under starvation stress even though E. coli cell were exposed to high concentrations of antibioic starvation stress compared to the known MIC.

Keywords: Escherichia coli survival, starvation stress, antibiotic resistance, aquatic environment