Studies on antibiotic resistance of some bacterial isolates from sachet water samples in Nsukka, Nigeria

Abstract

Sachet water samples of different brands were collected from several retail outlets in Nsukka, Nigeria and analysed microbiologically to determine their bacteriological quality and antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolates. A brand of the sachet water samples tested negative for the presence of bacteria while a total of 61 bacterial strains isolated from the other sachet water samples. Using the disc diffusion method, the 61 bacterial isolates were screened for susceptibility to 12 commonly used antimicrobial agents including amoxycillin, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, cotrimoxazole, streptomycin and tetracycline. The isolates showed 91.8% susceptibility to chloramphenicol and 85.2%, 80.3% and 77.0% susceptibility to ciprofloxacin, nalidixic acid and nitrofurantoin, respectively. About 79% of the isolates were resistant to cotrimoxazole and rifampicin, respectively followed by gentamicin (69%). These results suggest that a large proportion of the bacterial flora in sachet water samples is resistant to a variety of antibiotics, and that resultant water-related infections will be more difficult to treat.Keywords: Antibiotic resistance, Bacterial isolates, Sachet water samples