Assessment on the microbial status of potable/ drinking water in Dhaka city and the comparative analysis of different regions of the city on antibiotic resistance

Abstract

Dhaka City is home to nearly 22,478,000 people, but accessible drinking water sources are limited. Moreover, the minimal available water sources are polluted, rendering the Dhaka City population victim of water-borne health hazards. The key water source examined in this study is the community water from street food vendors all over Dhaka City, which is consumed by general people on a regular basis. A total of 47 water samples were collected from tea stalls, street food vendors, and roadside restaurants and the samples were processed within 2 hours of collection. A combination of spread, pour and streak plating methods were used on a variety of selective media, such as MAC, XLD, MSA, TCBS, M-FC, etc. Gram staining and an array of biochemical tests were also performed to identify the target organisms. Antibiotic Susceptibility was further performed to examine the level of antibiotic resistance. In this study, Bacillus spp was the most prevalent (28.57%) bacteria isolated from drinking water. E.coli was found to be the highest one (12%) among a myriad of other enteric pathogens. However, a distressing number of fecal coliforms were found in more or less all the samples The isolates showed highest resistance to Penicillin 80.67% followed by Colistin 50.42%, Cefepime 23.52%, Gentamicin 42.01%, Cefuroxime 43.69%, Erythromycin 24.36%. Diseases related to the serious contamination of drinking water in Dhaka city constitute a major burden on human health and can cause a leading risk factor for infectious diseases including cholera, diarrhea, dysentery and typhoid.