Morphological Identification and Resistance Profile of Antibiotic and Heavy Metals-Resistant Bacteria in Hospital Sewage of Peshawar

Background: Increased resistance of microorganisms to commonly prescribed antibiotics has emerged as a significant hurdle in contemporary medical practice. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared antibiotic resistance as a " major threat to public health.". In the present study, bacterial isolates were selected based on high antibiotic and heavy metal tolerance from a water sample taken from hospital sewage. Methods: Antibiotic-resistant bacteria were isolated through the disk diffusion method. Gram staining was done for morphological identification. For molecular identification, the 16s rDNA PCR amplification was done with universal primers. Results: The strain BC1 was found resistant to ampicillin (10pg/ml), and cefixime (5pg/ml). While, susceptible to kanamycin (30pg/ml), azithromycin (15pg/ml) and intermediate in response to amoxicillin (30pg/ml). The strain BC2 was resistant to ampicillin (10pg/ml), cefixime (5pg/ml) and kanamycin (30pg/ml). While, Susceptible to amoxicillin (30pg/ml), and intermediate in response to azithromycin (15pg/ml). The strains were also found resistant to heavy metals. Conclusion: The recent investigation on bacterial strains from hospital effluent found interesting candidates for understanding the AMR bacteria and developing novel active biomolecules to combat the antibiotics problem. The isolated strains could be a source of novel resistant genes however; a comprehensive molecular analysis is needed for advanced studies.