Occurrence Of Bacterial Isolates Research Articles

Seasonal impact on microbiological quality of drinking water in Solan City of Himachal Pradesh, India.

Water contamination with faecal matter is usually the main cause of microbial waterborne diseases. Such diseases are an alarming situation for small cities in developing countries like India. In this research, to check the microbiological status of drinking water in Solan, Himachal Pradesh (India), water samples were collected from baories/stepwells (n = 14), handpumps (n = 9), and the municipal water distribution system (MWDS) (n = 2) in alternative months of the year (covering three main seasons). In 6months, 150 samples were collected, and they were all examined for the presence of total coliforms and other bacterial pathogens. The associations between the isolates' ecological and seasonal prevalence were also examined. The coliforms were detected by the Most Probable Number (MPN) method, whose range was noticed from the 2-540/100-ml MPN index. The colony forming unit (CFU) count for different samples at the base log 10 value ranged from 3.03 to 6.19. Different genera isolated and identified were Escherichia coli, Salmonella enteric subsp. enterica, Pseudomonas spp., Klebsiella spp., and Staphylococcus aureus. Overall, 74% of the isolates identified in water samples were from the Enterobacteriaceae family. E. coli was about 42.67% (n = 102), followed by Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica 20.92% (n = 50), Staphylococcus aureus 13.38% (n = 32), Pseudomonas spp. 12.55% (n = 30), and Klebsiella spp. 10.46% (n = 25) amongst the total of 239 isolates. The seasonal impact and the dependency of the occurrence of bacteria on one another were determined to be insignificant in the Spearman correlation test. These results showed that external factors (anthropogenic activities) are mainly responsible for the presence of these bacteria in water resources. The occurrence of bacterial isolates has been noticed in all water samples, irrespective of collecting site or season.

Microbiological Assessment of Used Face Masks in Port Harcourt Secondary Schools in COVID-19 Era

Aim: This study was aimed at identifying bacterial and fungal contaminations in used face masks from different secondary schools in Port Harcourt during COVID-19 Era
 Study Design: The study employs statistical analysis of the data and interpretation.
 Place and Duration of Study: Five Secondary Schools–Three public schools: Federal Government College Rumuokoro; Rumueme and Rumuokuta Girls’ Secondary Schools; Two Private Schools: Solid Steps and Istan Secondary Schools; all located in the city of Port-Harcourt, Nigeria. Sample collection lasted for a week and the analysis lasted for six months.
 Methodology: The research study was facilitated through Laboratory analysis and the use of questionnaire to get the age and sex from the school children. A total of 25 used face masks samples were collected from school children between ages of 12-18years and they were examined microbiologically. Sterile swab sticks soaked in sterile nutrient broth were employed to swab the inner surface area of the used face mask of circular diameter 10 cm. The swabbed samples were dipped and shaken in 9ml of sterile saline water for 1-3 minutes to dislodge the organisms; the mixture was then diluted through a ten-fold serial dilution, after which an aliquot of 0.1ml were inoculated unto Nutrient Agar (dilution used 10-6, incubated at 370C for 24h), Mac Conkey Agar (dilution used 10-3, incubated at 44±0.20C for 24-48h) and Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (dilution used 10-3; incubated at 370C for 5-7 days). Frequency evaluation and identification of isolates were carried out using standard microbiological techniques.
 Results: The entire face masks sampled were found contaminated with microorganisms. The Microbial load (Log10 CFU/cm2;) and Percentage (%) occurrence of bacterial isolates from used facemask were; Bacillus spp (6.10±2.13)(30.81) > Staphylococcus auerus (3.89±3.01)(19.57%) > Proteus spp (2.25±2.45)(11.35) > Paenibacillus spp (1.55±2.52)(7.82) > Escherichia coli (0.36±0.81)(1.82) while fungal isolates were Aspergillus spp (2.20±0.55)(11.09) > Mucor spp (2.19±0.96)(11.04) > Penicillum spp (1.29±0.61)(6.51). The contaminated used face masks with microorganism were highest in school children of ages 16-18years (72%) and the lowest occurred in children of 12-14years of age (12%).
 Conclusion: The presence of potential pathogen such as Staphylococcus auerus, Bacillus spp etc. are of public health significance. It is therefore recommended that crowd should be controlled in such environments with high bacterial and fungal load such as schools and COVID-19 protocols duly observed.

Spatial and temporal distribution of faecal indicators and multidrug resistant bacteria in a multiple-use freshwater lake: the case of Lake Hawassa, Ethiopia

Background: Aquatic environments close to cities are frequently used as sources for water and at the same time overloaded with a variety of pollutants either through direct or indirect discharges of untreated wastes and sewage. This condition is also worsened by the indiscriminate disposal of untreated wastes and sewage vigorously into used water. Sewage contaminated waters are known to carry microorganisms, some of which are pathogenic to humans. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the extent of temporal and spatial levels of microbial pollution and sources of pollution in Lake Hawassa. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Lake Hawassa, which was sampled twice during 2017. A total of 26 samples of lake water were collected from 14 stations using a boat. Entry points of incoming streams, waste receiving sites, and areas upstream of anthropogenic impact, recreational and bathing sites were considered. Microbiological characterisation was performed using selective media and basic biochemical tests. Antibiotic sensitivity was tested with different antibiotics using the Kirby-Bauer agar disk diffusion method. Result: All samples were positive for pathogenic bacteria, including Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Enterobacteriaceae were the most common bacteria identified from the samples, including Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp, Shigella spp, Proteus spp and Gram-positive bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus. The predominant bacteria found in the samples include E. coli, which constituted 22/26 (84.6%) of the total samples, followed by Salmonella and Shigella spp. All bacterial isolates were resistant to penicillin and ampicillin. The Salmonella spp were sensitive only to norfloxacin and gentamicin. Conclusion: A spatial variation with the occurrence of bacterial isolates has been observed. High concentrations and many different species were found in areas of human activities and in areas receiving direct pollutants from the city. This study revealed that multidrug resistant (MDR) pathogenic bacteria are found in Lake Hawassa. There is a possibility of outbreak of diseases associated with the isolated antibiotic-resistant pathogens for which the antibiotic resistance genes are transportable within aquatic bacterial communities. We recommend that the city administration take care of the municipal wastewater or effluents from healthcare facilities that enter the lake. It is also recommended that the government take steps to control anthropogenic activities near the water body.

Resistance to Fluoroquinolones and Other Antimicrobials in Culture-Positive <i>Salmonella typhi</i> Isolates in Gulbarga, South India

Background: Typhoid fever is a major public health concern in developing countries. The upsurge in the occurrence of bacterial isolates that are resistant to nalidixic acid; with reduced susceptibility to ciprofloxacin in typhoidal Salmonellae constitutes a challenge to the clinician. Methods: In order to better understand the epidemiology of Salmonella infections in South India, Salmonella typhi isolates were screened from various healthcare centers. Salmonella isolates were identified by using standard phenotypic, serological, antibiotic susceptibility and molecular methods. Results: Among a total of 100 S. typhi isolates 9% were found to be multidrug resistant and 30% were nalidixic acid resistant. Isolates with reduced susceptibility to ciprofloxacin displays single base mutations in the gyrA gene. A very low rate of 1% resistance was found to ciprofloxacin. The only one isolate with ciprofloxacin MIC ≥ 4 μg/ml also showed single mutation in the QRDR of the gyrA gene in S. typhi (GenBank accession no. HQ176349-HQ176368). Conclusions: A very low rate of nalidixic acid resistance with reduced susceptibility to ciprofloxacin was observed in comparison to other endemic areas in isolates of S. typhi from Gulbarga, South India, with steadily increasing NAR S. typhi but decreasing MDR isolations over the study period. This is most likely due to an increased use of ciprofloxacin as a first line drug of choice over more traditional antimicrobial agents for the treatment of typhoid fever.

Bacterial Isolates from Bivalve Clams (Galatea paradoxa, Born 1778): Occurence, Multi-drug Resistance, Location of Antibiotic Resistance Marker and Plasmid Profiles

The occurrence of bacterial isolates in Galatea paradoxa (Born 1778) was determined using standard bacteriological method. The multi-drug resistance, location of antibiotic markers, plasmid DNA extraction and electrophoresis was determined by disc diffusion, acridine orange, TENS alkaline lysis and 0.8% agarose gel electrophoresis, respectively. Of the 63 bacterial isolates from G. paradoxa, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes had the highest and lowest percentage of occurrence with 40.0% and 5.0%, respectively. Escherichia coli was 25.0%, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (17.5%), Enterococcus spp and Salmonella spp (15.0%) each, Bacillus subtilis (12.5%), Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterococcus faecalis (10.0%) each while Vibrio cholerae was (7.5%). The results showed Streptomycin and Ciprofloxacin as the most effective antibiotics against bacterial isolates from G. paradoxa. Bacillus subtilis and P. aeruginosa displayed 100% sensitivity to Streptomycin; Salmonella spp and E. faecalis were 100% sensitive to Augmentin. V. cholerae and S. pyogenes showed 100% resistance to Penicillin and Rifampicin, respectively. Of the 63 bacterial isolates, 43 (68.3%) were multidrug resistant (MDR) isolates, of which S. aureus and E. coli had the widest multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) indices ranging from 0.3 to 0.8, while S. pyogenes had the least MAR ≤ 0.5. Of the 43 MDR bacterial isolates, 16.3%, 23.3% and 60.5% had their entire antibiotic resistance encoded on plasmid, chromosome and both plasmid and chromosome, respectively. The agarose gel electrophoresis showed that MDR bacterial isolates from G. paradoxa had plasmid DNA with molecular weights ranging from 23.1 to 31.5kb. This study has showed that G. paradoxa harboured bacteria which could pose serious health risks and G. paradoxa should be adequately cooked before consumption.

Antimicrobial resistance trends in blood culture positive Salmonella Typhi isolates from Pondicherry, India, 2005–2009

Typhoid fever is caused by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi, a major public health concern in developing countries. Recently, there has been an upsurge in the occurrence of bacterial isolates that are resistant to ciprofloxacin, and the emergence of broad spectrum β-lactamases in typhoidal salmonellae constitutes a new challenge for the clinician. A total of 337 blood culture isolates of S. Typhi, isolated from Pondicherry, India, between January 2005 and December 2009, were investigated using phenotypic, molecular and serological methods. Of the 337 isolates, 74 (22%) were found to be multidrug resistant (MDR) and 264 (78%) nalidixic acid resistant (NAR). Isolates with reduced susceptibility to ciprofloxacin possessed single mutations in the gyrA gene. A high rate of resistance (8%) was found to ciprofloxacin. All isolates with a ciprofloxacin MIC ≥ 4 mg/L possessed both double mutations in the QRDR of the gyrA gene and a single mutation in the parC gene. Active efflux pump mechanisms were also found to be involved in ciprofloxacin resistance. Finally, a large number of PFGE patterns (non-clonal genotypes) were observed among the S. Typhi isolates. In conclusion, a high rate of ciprofloxacin resistance was observed in comparison to other endemic areas in blood culture isolates of S. Typhi from Pondicherry, India, with steadily increasing NAR but decreasing MDR isolations over the study period. This is most likely to be due to an increased use of ciprofloxacin as a first-line drug of choice over more traditional antimicrobial agents for the treatment of typhoid fever.