This study aimed at detecting the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant serotypes of Escherichia coli in Cochin estuary, India. E. coli strains were isolated during the period January 2010–December 2011 from five different stations set at Cochin estuary. Water samples from five different stations in Cochin estuary were collected on a monthly basis for a period of two years. Isolates were serotyped, antibiogram-phenotyped for twelve antimicrobial agents, and genotyped by polymerase chain reaction for uid gene that codes for β-D-glucuronidase. These E. coli strains from Cochin estuary were tested against twelve antibiotics to determine the prevalence of multiple antibiotic resistance among them. The results revealed that more than 53.33% of the isolates were multiple antibiotic resistant. Thirteen isolates showed resistance to sulphonamides and two of them contained the sul 1 gene. Class 1 integrons were detected in two E. coli strains which were resistant to more than seven antibiotics. In the present study, O serotyping, antibiotic sensitivity, and polymerase chain reaction were employed with the purpose of establishing the present distribution of multiple antibiotic-resistant serotypes, associated with E. coli isolated from different parts of Cochin estuary. 1. Introduction The emergence of Escherichia coli isolates with multiple antibiotic-resistant phenotypes, involving coresistance to four or more unrelated families of antibiotics, has been previously reported and is considered a serious health concern [1–3]. Antimicrobials are often used for therapy of infected humans and animals as well as for prophylaxis and growth promotion of food producing animals. Many findings suggest that inadequate selection and abuse of antimicrobials may lead to resistance in various bacteria and make the treatment of bacterial infections more difficult [4]. Antimicrobial agents can be found in sewage effluents, particularly in places where these drugs are extensively used, such as hospitals, pharmaceutical production plants, and around farms where animal feed contains these agents. It has been suggested that resistance in bacterial populations may spread from one ecosystem to another [5]. The wild dissemination of antimicrobial resistance among bacterial populations is an increasing problem worldwide. Antimicrobial resistance in E. coli has been reported worldwide. Treatment for E. coli infection has been increasingly complicated by the emergence of resistance to most first-line antimicrobial agents, including fluoroquinolones [6]. Sulfamethoxazole in combination with
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