Prevalence of Pathogenic Microorganisms and Determination of Possible Presence of Antimicrobial Residues in Industrial and Medical Wastes

Abstract

Waste materials discharged from any industries without any treatment may cause serious environmental problems which may consequently affect public health. Present study design to screen the proliferation of microorganisms in different waste and environmental samples near industrial areas along with the assessment of the presence of antibacterial substances. The existence of the total viable bacteria and fungi was estimated up to 10 7 cfu/g and 10 4 cfu/g, respectively, in solid wastes. For liquid wastes, the total viable bacteria were recovered up to 10 7 cfu/mL and fungi were observed up to 10 5 cfu/mL. Both types of samples were found to be contaminated with an array of pathogenic bacteria including Klebsiella spp ., Staphylococcus spp ., and Vibrio spp . Conversely, some medical and pharmaceutical waste samples were found to inhibit the growth of laboratory isolates tested which indicate the presence of antibiotics residues. Finally, the huge microbial load and the possible presence of antibiotic or other antimicrobial residues render the samples a major public health concern.