Study of Antimicrobial Resistance in Recreational Water Bodies

Abstract

Thc development and proliferation of antibiotic resistance in pathogen, commensal and environmcntal microorganisms is a major heallh conccrn. The natural environment may act as a site of propagation and maintenance of antibiotic resistance and greatly depends on various human activities. The anthropogenic activities leading to rise and dissemination of antibiotic resistance should be studied extensively. Recreational water bodies can act both as the recipient and reservoir of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and thus serve as a potent site of horizntal transfer of antibiotic resistant genes and dissemination of the same to environmental microbes. In the current study, water samples of recreational water bodies were investigated as possible sources of antibiotic resistant bacterial population. Water samples from RabindraSarobar of Kolkata was surveyed and antibiotic resistance patern of gram negative fecal coliforrnswere mainly evaluated. Many of them were found to be Multidrug resistant(MDR) which is of great concem to the public health.