Multidrug-resistant bacteria in the wastewater of the hospitals in Port Harcourt metropolis: Implications for environmental health

Abstract

Dissemination of antibiotic resistance via aquatic systems is considered to be an important environmental health concern. The present study aimed to assess the levels of multidrug-resistant bacteria in the raw wastewater of two hospitals in Port Harcourt metropolis using standard microbiological techniques. Among 64 bacterial isolates, seven bacterial groups were identified, including <em>Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter, Staphylococcus aureus, Citrobacter</em>, <em>Shigella</em>, and <em>Bacillus</em>. The bacterial counts were within the ranges of 7.8 x 10⁴-4.8 x 10⁶ and 6.9 x 10⁴-1.09 x 10⁵ CFU/ml in hospitals A and B, respectively. The obtained results indicated high resistance to quinolones/fluoroquinolones (83.3-90%) and penicillins (50-70%). In addition, 86.9% of the isolates showed multidrug resistance. The multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index was within the range of 0.1-0.8 in the gram-positive bacteria and 0.1-0.6 in the gram-negative bacteria. The findings confirmed the presence of bacteria with high MAR indices in the untreated hospital wastewater.