Antibiotic resistance in E. coli isolated in effluent from a wastewater treatment plant and sediments in receiver body

ABSTRACT

The indiscriminate use of antibiotics in human and veterinary medicine has accelerated the development of bacterial resistance, indicating the need to adopt measures related to reducing the overuse of antibiotics to ensure the safety of public health. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the occurrence and risk of the spread of microorganisms resistant to antibiotics in the environment and relate to physical and chemical parameters in wastewater treatment plants adopted in western Parana State, Brazil. Through determination of the occurrence of Escherichia coli isolates in the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) effluent and sediments sampled before and after the discharge of the receiving body, susceptibility to antibiotics isolated from different families is evaluated. The results indicated the occurrence of E. coli isolates resistant to cephalothin, streptomycin, tetracycline and amoxicillin. A higher incidence of resistant and intermediate isolates was detected in the effluent of the WWTP and sediments sampled downstream; this suggests that the dumping of wastewater contributes to the incorporation of resistant microorganisms in the receiving body and, therefore, a possible threat to public and environmental health, besides indicating the need for a more effective post-treatment of effluents to remove pathogens.

KEYWORDS:

• Water resources
• sanitary sewerage
• antibiogram
• public health

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), and are also grateful to UTFPR.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.