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Updated: Aug 12, 2026

Isolation and Identification of Waterborne Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and Molecular Characterization of their Antibiotic Resistance Genes
08:58

Isolation and Identification of Waterborne Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and Molecular Characterization of their Antibiotic Resistance Genes

Published on: March 3, 2023

Transferable drug resistance associated with coliforms isolated from hospital and domestic sewage

T D Fontaine, A W Hoadley

    Health Laboratory Science
    |October 1, 1976
    PubMed

    Insights

    Hospital and municipal wastes harbor antibiotic-resistant fecal coliforms. These resistant bacteria and their transferable resistance factors can spread into the environment, posing a public health risk.

    Area of Science:

    • Environmental microbiology
    • Public health
    • Antimicrobial resistance

    Background:

    • Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are a growing global health concern.
    • Wastewater, particularly from hospitals, may harbor resistant microorganisms.
    • The potential for resistance transfer in environmental settings is not fully understood.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate antibiotic-resistant fecal coliforms in hospital and municipal wastes.
    • To determine if these wastes act as reservoirs for resistant bacteria and resistance transfer factors.
    • To assess the impact of sewage treatment on resistant bacteria populations.

    Main Methods:

    • Isolation and characterization of fecal coliforms from raw and treated hospital and municipal wastes.
    • Determination of antibiotic resistance patterns and multiple resistance.
    • Transferability of antibiotic resistance to recipient strains (Escherichia coli, Salmonella cholerae-suis).
    • Assessment of resistance transfer in sewage.

    Main Results:

    • High prevalence of multiple antibiotic resistance in fecal coliforms from hospital (87.8%) and municipal (42.6%) wastes.
    • Antibiotic resistance was transferable from a significant proportion of isolates.
    • Sewage treatment reduced the numbers of resistant coliforms but not their proportion.
    • Resistance transfer to pathogenic Salmonella strains was demonstrated in sewage.

    Conclusions:

    • Hospital and municipal wastes serve as reservoirs for antibiotic-resistant bacteria and transferable resistance.
    • Wastewater treatment does not eliminate the risk of spreading antibiotic resistance.
    • Environmental dissemination of antibiotic resistance from waste sources is a significant public health concern.

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