Isolation and characterization of multidrug resistance bacteria from hospital sewage samples, Maharashtra, India

Multiple antibiotic resistance is a major cause of clinical infections worldwide. This study determined the pattern of multidrug bacterial resistance in hospital sewage samples from the Marathwada region of India. Forty-eight isolates of bacteria were obtained from 6 locations of Aurangabad. An antibiotic sensitivity test was carried out using the disc diffusion method. Among all the antibiotics tested, the highest level of resistance was observed in the beta lactam class (85%), followed by Tetracycline (58%), Cephalosporin (58%), quinolones (52%) and gentamycin (45%). Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae are the most prevalent bacteria, showing antibiotic resistance to all tested antibiotics with a MAR index of 1. It is concluded that hospital sewage water could be a reservoir of antibiotic resistant bacteria, which may further contaminate drinking water bodies, potentially presenting a public health risk to the general populace.