Isolation and Characterization of Multi-Drug Resistant Bacteria from Hospital Wastewater Sites around the City of Aizawl, Mizoram

A microbial study was conducted from wastewater soils of hospitals in Aizawl, Mizoram, India which were in existence for a longtime. The isolated bacteria from the wastewater soils were found to be mainly of Morganella morganii and Bacillus cereus and these isolated bacteria were found to be very resistant to a wide range of antibiotics and heavy metals. Antibiotics that were used for treating infections caused by these bacteria like chloramphenicol and ciprofloxacin were also found to be insensitive. The degree of resistance was also very high when compared to earlier reports of antibiotic resistance observed in the corresponding bacteria. Our results suggested that the high degree of resistance is probably conferred by the continued exposure to antibiotics from hospital waste leading to a selected population of highly antibiotics-resistant bacteria.