Comparative study on antibiotic resistance profiles and plasmid presence in water samples focusing inside and outside Dhaka district

Abstract

One of the most pressing issues of recent times is antimicrobial resistance or AMR. Nowadays, treating infections with susceptible antibiotics has become a major concern as antibiotic resistance is rapidly rising. And due to a lack of susceptible antibiotics for a specific infection, millions of deaths are occurring worldwide. This antibiotic resistance is increasing mainly as a result of the excessive use of antibiotics and improper disposal in the environment. For assessing the present state of antibiotic resistance in Bangladesh, water samples were collected from different areas of Bangladesh and a comparative analysis was done between inside and outside Dhaka district. We have collected four water samples from inside Dhaka district and four water samples from outside Dhaka district. A total of eight water samples were collected, and from those, 160 colonies were isolated. For the isolation of different bacterial species, we have used selective media, including MacConkey, SS, TCBS, and EMB. The general identification of the isolates was done using Gram staining and HiMedia morphology identification techniques. We have found different species of bacteria, including Escherichia coli, Vibrio, Shigella, Salmonella, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas, and Enterobacter. The primary goal of this research project was to conduct a comparative analysis of the antibiotic resistance profiles between inside and outside Dhaka district water sources. Here, antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) was performed using 14 different antibiotic groups. Many multidrug-resistant bacteria were found in both inside and outside Dhaka district samples. However, the antibiotic resistance rate was found to be higher in inside Dhaka district water samples. Moreover, we have obtained plasmids from the bacterial isolates and visualized those plasmids via the gel electrophoresis method. As we know, bacteria can pick up resistant genes containing plasmids and vi become resistant to antibiotics. And after analyzing our results, similarly, we have found a correlation between the presence of plasmids in bacteria and their antibiotic resistance rate.