Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli are associated with infantile diarrhea in the developing countries. The present study was conducted to determine the occurrence and antimicrobial resistance pattern of enteropathogenic and enteroinvasive E. coli associated with diarrhoea among the paediatric patients. A total of 262 stool samples were collected from children with and without diarrhea from Mizoram, Northeast India. E. coli were isolated and subjected to multiplex PCR to detect virulent genes of EPEC (eaeA and bfpA) and EIEC (ial). Isolates were subjected to antimicrobial sensitivity assay using disc diffusion method. Selected eaeA genes were sequenced for identification and genetic relationship. A total of 334 E. coli was isolated, of which 17.37% were carrying at least one virulent gene. Altogether, 14.97 and 2.40% isolates were categorized as EPEC and EIEC, respectively. Among the DEC isolates, 4.79% were EPEC and 7.78% were EIEC. A total of 8 (2.40%) isolates were EIEC (ial+), of which 6 (1.80%) and 2 (0.60%) were from diarrhoeic and non-diarrhoeic patients, respectively. A total of 24 (41.40%) DEC isolates were MDR (resistance against ≥5 antimicrobials). A high frequency of EPEC pathotypes associated with paediatric diarrhea was observed in Mizoram, Northeast India and majority of the isolates are resistant to antibiotics with a high frequency of MDR, which is a matter of concern to the public health. This also raises an alarm to the world communities to monitor the resistance pattern and analyse in a global scale to combat the problems of resistance development.

Antimicrobial resistance is a global emergency which needs one health approach to address. The present study was conducted to detect the prevalence of beta‐lactamase and biofilm‐producing‐Klebsiella strains in rectal swabs (n=624) collected from healthy dogs, cats, sheep and goats reared as companion or household animals in India. The dogs and cats were frequently exposed to third or fourth generation cephalosporins for therapy.The sheep and goats were occasionally exposed to antibiotics and had environmental exposure.Phenotypical ESBL (n=93) and ACBL (n=88) producing‐Klebsiella were isolated significantly more (p<0.05) from companion animals than household animals. Majority of the Klebsiella possessed bla_CTX‐M‐15.The sequences bla_{CTX‐M‐15.2}, bla_{CTX‐M‐197}, bla_{CTX‐M‐225} is reported first time from the companion animals. All ACBL‐producing isolates possessed bla_AmpC. The present study detected 65.8% of Klebsiella strains as biofilm producers possessing the studied biofilm associated genes.The isolates showed phenotypical resistance against chloramphenicol, tetracycline, doxycycline, co‐trimoxazole, ampicillin, cefotaxime/clavulanic acid. The present study showed that companion and household animals (dogs, cats, sheep, goats) may act as a carrier of ESBL / biofilm producing, multi‐drug resistant, high‐risk clonal lineage of Klebsiella.

The present finding could be considered as a serious public health concern as similar trait can also be transmitted to the human commensal bacteria as well as pathogens