Isolation and characterization of antibiotic-resistant bacteria from pharmaceutical industrial wastewaters.
Contamination of surface waters in underdeveloped countries is a great concern. Treated and untreated wastewaters have been discharged into rivers and streams, leading to possible waterborne infection outbreaks which may represent a significant dissemination mechanism of antibiotic resistance genes among pathogenic bacterial populations. The present study aims to determine the multi-drug resistance patterns among isolated and identified bacterial strains in a pharmaceutical wastewater effluent in north Tunisia. Fourteen isolates were obtained and seven of them were identified. These isolates belong to different genera namely, Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, Exiguobacterium, Delftia and Morganella. Susceptibility patterns of these isolates were studied toward commonly used antibiotics in Tunisia. All the identified isolates were found to have 100% susceptibility against colistin sulfate and 100% resistance against amoxicillin. Among the 11 antibiotics tested, six patterns of multi-drug resistance were obtained. The potential of the examined wastewater effluent in spreading multi-drug resistance and the associated public health implications are discussed.
Laboratoire de biotechnologie et Valorisation de Bio Géo Ressources (LBVBGR) Institut Supérieur de Biotechnologie (LR11ES31), ISBST BioTechPole, Sidi Thabet Université Manouba, Ariana 2020, Tunisie.
Leyla
L
Tahrani
Laboratoire de biotechnologie et Valorisation de Bio Géo Ressources (LBVBGR) Institut Supérieur de Biotechnologie (LR11ES31), ISBST BioTechPole, Sidi Thabet Université Manouba, Ariana 2020, Tunisie.
Leila
L
Soufi
Laboratoire Traitement et recyclage des eaux, centre de recherche et technologie des eaux, Borj Cédria, Tunisie.
Ines
I
Mehri
Laboratoire de biotechnologie et Valorisation de Bio Géo Ressources (LBVBGR) Institut Supérieur de Biotechnologie (LR11ES31), ISBST BioTechPole, Sidi Thabet Université Manouba, Ariana 2020, Tunisie.
Afef
A
Najjari
Laboratoire Traitement et recyclage des eaux, centre de recherche et technologie des eaux, Borj Cédria, Tunisie.
Abdenaceur
A
Hassan
Laboratory of Residues and Chemical Contaminants, Scientific Institute of Public Health, Brussels 1050, Belgium.
Joris
J
Van Loco
Laboratory of Residues and Chemical Contaminants, Scientific Institute of Public Health, Brussels 1050, Belgium.
Tim
T
Reyns
Laboratoire de biotechnologie et Valorisation de Bio Géo Ressources (LBVBGR) Institut Supérieur de Biotechnologie (LR11ES31), ISBST BioTechPole, Sidi Thabet Université Manouba, Ariana 2020, Tunisie.
Ameur
A
Cherif
Institut Superieur des Sciences Appliquées et de Technologie de Mahdia Université de Monastir Tunisie, Tunisie. Electronic address: hdbenmansour@gmail.com.
Hedi
H
Ben Mansour
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004345:Drug Industry; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D007220:Industrial Waste; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D014416:Tunisia; D062065:Wastewater / Q000382:microbiology*
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D007220:Industrial Waste; D062065:Wastewater
Antibiotic sensitivity; Bacteria; Multiple-drug resistance; Pharmaceutical effluent