# Profile and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of bacteria isolated from effluents of Kolladiba and Debark hospitals

## TL;DR

This study found multi-drug-resistant bacteria in hospital effluents in Ethiopia, highlighting the need for better waste management.

## Contribution

The study identifies and characterizes multi-drug-resistant bacteria and their resistance patterns in hospital effluents in Ethiopia.

## Key findings

- 12 out of 28 bacterial isolates were multi-drug resistant.
- Erythromycin had the highest resistance, while novobiocin was the most effective.
- Plasmid analysis showed variable plasmid numbers and sizes in resistant isolates.

## Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the presence of antibiotic susceptibility patterns and bacterial profiles of some multi-drug-resistant bacteria isolated from the effluents of Kolladiba and Debark Hospitals. Sixteen samples were collected from Kolladiba and Debark Hospitals in North Gondar, Ethiopia, to investigate the presence of multi-drug-resistant bacteria. To assess susceptibility patterns, well-isolated bacterial colonies were subjected to seven antibiotics. The selected resistant isolates were characterized using morphological and biochemical tests. Plasmid DNA analysis of the isolates was also performed. Out of a total of 28 bacterial isolates, 12 were found to be multi-drug resistant. Among the tested antibiotics, erythromycin was the most resistant antibiotic, while novobiocin was the most effective antibiotic. A plasmid profile study of the isolates revealed both the presence and absence of plasmids. The number of plasmids ranged from zero to four, with plasmid sizes of 100, 900, 1,000, 1,400, 1,500, and 1,800 base pairs. This study concluded that effluents from both hospitals have high number of multi-drug-resistant isolates. The genes responsible for multi-drug resistance in bacterial isolates under this study could be either plasmid-mediated or chromosomal DNA-mediated. The presence of multi-drug-resistant bacteria in these effluents should not be overlooked.