Bacterial antibiotic resistance in municipal wastewater treatment plant; mechanism and its impacts on human health and economy

Antibiotics are widely used as an antimicrobial agent in medical sciences and as growth promoter of livestock. A small fraction of engulfed antibiotics directly participates to achieve their targeted functions while remnant unmetabolized and excreted out. Such undigested antibiotics seek their way into the municipal wastewater thus a selective pressure for the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic-resistant genes are induced. The potential of antibiotic resistance can be acquired through various mechanisms as it has become a global threat to human health and economy. The municipal wastewater treatment plants are playing a vital role in the dissemination of antibiotic resistance by working as a breeding ground for the antibiotic resistance bacteria. This review is an effort to bring forward the overview on the mechanisms of antibiotic-resistance by profiling antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic-resistant genes along with its dissemination. It also tries to present its impact on human health and the economy.