Antibiotic Resistance in Filters from Car Air Conditioning Systems
In the present study, a quantitative analysis of culturable microflora of car cabin filters was accomplished, with a special focus on bacteria resistant to some antibiotics. The occurrence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria was considered in the filters with activated carbon and filters with antibacte...
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MDPI AG
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Applied Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/14/7787 |
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| author | Agnieszka Jurkowska Agnieszka Tabernacka Ewa Karwowska |
| author_facet | Agnieszka Jurkowska Agnieszka Tabernacka Ewa Karwowska |
| author_sort | Agnieszka Jurkowska |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In the present study, a quantitative analysis of culturable microflora of car cabin filters was accomplished, with a special focus on bacteria resistant to some antibiotics. The occurrence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria was considered in the filters with activated carbon and filters with antibacterial properties. The minimum inhibitory concentration was evaluated for selected bacterial strains isolated from the filters. It was found that cabin filters after long-time operation are not only heavily contaminated with bacteria and fungi but also constitute a habitat for numerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The numbers of culturable bacteria resistant to penicillin, nitrofurantoin, rifampicin, doxycycline, or gentamicin reached 10<sup>2</sup>–10<sup>3</sup> CFU/g of filter material. No relationship was observed between car brand or filter type and the abundance of antibiotics-resistant bacteria. The lower bacterial content of antibacterial filters was not accompanied by a proportionally lower content of resistant microorganisms which may indicate that the present techniques are not sufficient to limit their growth effectively. <i>Pseudomonas</i> sp. isolates from the filter material were not sensitive even in relation to high concentrations of some antibiotics, which confirms their significant resistance potential and may be important in the context of the spread of drug resistance in the vehicles indoors. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0f59d69e0d294e4a901f9ec59e53748a |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-0f59d69e0d294e4a901f9ec59e53748a2025-08-20T02:45:43ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-07-011514778710.3390/app15147787Antibiotic Resistance in Filters from Car Air Conditioning SystemsAgnieszka Jurkowska0Agnieszka Tabernacka1Ewa Karwowska2Department of Biology, Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Nowowiejska 20, 00-653 Warsaw, PolandDepartment of Biology, Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Nowowiejska 20, 00-653 Warsaw, PolandDepartment of Biology, Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Nowowiejska 20, 00-653 Warsaw, PolandIn the present study, a quantitative analysis of culturable microflora of car cabin filters was accomplished, with a special focus on bacteria resistant to some antibiotics. The occurrence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria was considered in the filters with activated carbon and filters with antibacterial properties. The minimum inhibitory concentration was evaluated for selected bacterial strains isolated from the filters. It was found that cabin filters after long-time operation are not only heavily contaminated with bacteria and fungi but also constitute a habitat for numerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The numbers of culturable bacteria resistant to penicillin, nitrofurantoin, rifampicin, doxycycline, or gentamicin reached 10<sup>2</sup>–10<sup>3</sup> CFU/g of filter material. No relationship was observed between car brand or filter type and the abundance of antibiotics-resistant bacteria. The lower bacterial content of antibacterial filters was not accompanied by a proportionally lower content of resistant microorganisms which may indicate that the present techniques are not sufficient to limit their growth effectively. <i>Pseudomonas</i> sp. isolates from the filter material were not sensitive even in relation to high concentrations of some antibiotics, which confirms their significant resistance potential and may be important in the context of the spread of drug resistance in the vehicles indoors.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/14/7787antibiotic resistancevehiclesair conditioningcabin filters |
| spellingShingle | Agnieszka Jurkowska Agnieszka Tabernacka Ewa Karwowska Antibiotic Resistance in Filters from Car Air Conditioning Systems Applied Sciences antibiotic resistance vehicles air conditioning cabin filters |
| title | Antibiotic Resistance in Filters from Car Air Conditioning Systems |
| title_full | Antibiotic Resistance in Filters from Car Air Conditioning Systems |
| title_fullStr | Antibiotic Resistance in Filters from Car Air Conditioning Systems |
| title_full_unstemmed | Antibiotic Resistance in Filters from Car Air Conditioning Systems |
| title_short | Antibiotic Resistance in Filters from Car Air Conditioning Systems |
| title_sort | antibiotic resistance in filters from car air conditioning systems |
| topic | antibiotic resistance vehicles air conditioning cabin filters |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/14/7787 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT agnieszkajurkowska antibioticresistanceinfiltersfromcarairconditioningsystems AT agnieszkatabernacka antibioticresistanceinfiltersfromcarairconditioningsystems AT ewakarwowska antibioticresistanceinfiltersfromcarairconditioningsystems |