Prevalence Assay of Antibiotic Resistance in Enterobacteriaceae Isolated from Hospital and Urban Wastewaters in Karaj City

Hospitals are hotspots for antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and will be expelled from hospitals via wastewater systems. In this study, we present ESBLs prevalence in Entrobacteriaceae strains isolated from hospitals and urban wastewaters in Karaj.A total of 100 Entrobacteriaceae strains were isolated from hospitals and urban wastewater in Alborz province during the summer of 2018. Bacterial strains were identified by standard microbiological and biochemical tests. The antimicrobial susceptibility test was determined according to Kirby Baur assay. ESBLs producers were screened by disc diffusion and combined disc and were studied by using specific primers for blaTEM and blaSHV genes. Among the organisms cultured, Escherichia coli (73%) was the most common organism followed by Klebsiella oxytoka (7%). Antibiotic resistance patterns were observed as follows: cefotaxim 26%, ceftriaxone 21%, ceftazidim 15% and cefepim 9%. Thirteen percent of isolates were detected as ESBLs producers. Based on the PCR results the frequency of blaTEM and blaSHV among the ESBLs producer isolates were 92.3% and 100% respectively. Antimicrobial resistance should now be seen as an environmental pollutant and new wastewater treatment processes must be assessed for their capability in eliminating antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, especially from hospital effluents.