Surveillance of Multidrug-Resistant Genes in Clinically Significant Gram-Negative Bacteria Isolated from Hospital Wastewater

Background/Objectives: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a serious public health threat worldwide. Among the various surveillance domains, hospital wastewater (HWW) has been overlooked, and it is the major reason for the threats posed by AMR. Therefore, the HWW domain is of paramount importa...

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Main Authors: Shriya C. Shetty, Lakshya S. Gowda, Ankeeta Menona Jacob, Kalidas Shetty, A. Veena Shetty
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Antibiotics
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/14/6/607
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author Shriya C. Shetty
Lakshya S. Gowda
Ankeeta Menona Jacob
Kalidas Shetty
A. Veena Shetty
author_facet Shriya C. Shetty
Lakshya S. Gowda
Ankeeta Menona Jacob
Kalidas Shetty
A. Veena Shetty
author_sort Shriya C. Shetty
collection DOAJ
description Background/Objectives: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a serious public health threat worldwide. Among the various surveillance domains, hospital wastewater (HWW) has been overlooked, and it is the major reason for the threats posed by AMR. Therefore, the HWW domain is of paramount importance for tackling the AMR. In this regard, the present study investigated the occurrence of Gram-negative bacteria from HWW and evaluated the isolates’ multi-drug-resistant (MDR) pattern in the study environment. Methods: This descriptive study involves HWW samples (<i>n</i> = 24) consecutively collected across 6 months. The samples were cultured for bacteria, identified, and subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing via Kirby–Bauer. PCR confirmed the presence of drug-resistance genes in Gram-negative bacterial isolates. Results: High rates of <i>Enterobacterales</i> resistant to carbapenems and cephalosporins observed in isolates from final treated effluent. The molecular screening showed <i>tet</i>D, <i>tet</i>E, <i>tet</i>G, <i>cat</i>A1, <i>cat</i>A2, <i>bla</i><sub>NDM-1</sub>, quinolones, <i>qnr</i>A, <i>qnr</i>B, <i>qnr</i>S, and <i>qepa</i>. Conclusions: Overall, our results suggest that microbiological surveillance and identification of resistance genes of clinically important pathogens in HWW can be a general screening method for early determination of under-detected antimicrobial resistance profiles in hospitals and early warning of outbreaks and difficult-to-treat infections.
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spelling doaj-art-c1fd74c10e7547719d9f4a1dbc2ad0bb2025-08-20T03:26:15ZengMDPI AGAntibiotics2079-63822025-06-0114660710.3390/antibiotics14060607Surveillance of Multidrug-Resistant Genes in Clinically Significant Gram-Negative Bacteria Isolated from Hospital WastewaterShriya C. Shetty0Lakshya S. Gowda1Ankeeta Menona Jacob2Kalidas Shetty3A. Veena Shetty4Department of Microbiology, KS Hegde Medical Academy (KSHEMA), Nitte (Deemed to be University), Deralakatte, Mangalore 575018, IndiaDepartment of Biosciences, Mangalore University, Mangalore 574199, IndiaDepartment of Community Medicine, KS Hegde Medical Academy (KSHEMA), Nitte (Deemed to be University), Mangalore 575018, IndiaDepartment of Microbiological Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58102, USADepartment of Microbiology, KS Hegde Medical Academy (KSHEMA), Nitte (Deemed to be University), Deralakatte, Mangalore 575018, IndiaBackground/Objectives: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a serious public health threat worldwide. Among the various surveillance domains, hospital wastewater (HWW) has been overlooked, and it is the major reason for the threats posed by AMR. Therefore, the HWW domain is of paramount importance for tackling the AMR. In this regard, the present study investigated the occurrence of Gram-negative bacteria from HWW and evaluated the isolates’ multi-drug-resistant (MDR) pattern in the study environment. Methods: This descriptive study involves HWW samples (<i>n</i> = 24) consecutively collected across 6 months. The samples were cultured for bacteria, identified, and subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing via Kirby–Bauer. PCR confirmed the presence of drug-resistance genes in Gram-negative bacterial isolates. Results: High rates of <i>Enterobacterales</i> resistant to carbapenems and cephalosporins observed in isolates from final treated effluent. The molecular screening showed <i>tet</i>D, <i>tet</i>E, <i>tet</i>G, <i>cat</i>A1, <i>cat</i>A2, <i>bla</i><sub>NDM-1</sub>, quinolones, <i>qnr</i>A, <i>qnr</i>B, <i>qnr</i>S, and <i>qepa</i>. Conclusions: Overall, our results suggest that microbiological surveillance and identification of resistance genes of clinically important pathogens in HWW can be a general screening method for early determination of under-detected antimicrobial resistance profiles in hospitals and early warning of outbreaks and difficult-to-treat infections.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/14/6/607antimicrobial resistancecarbapenemsGram-negative bacteriatreated effluentwastewater
spellingShingle Shriya C. Shetty
Lakshya S. Gowda
Ankeeta Menona Jacob
Kalidas Shetty
A. Veena Shetty
Surveillance of Multidrug-Resistant Genes in Clinically Significant Gram-Negative Bacteria Isolated from Hospital Wastewater
Antibiotics
antimicrobial resistance
carbapenems
Gram-negative bacteria
treated effluent
wastewater
title Surveillance of Multidrug-Resistant Genes in Clinically Significant Gram-Negative Bacteria Isolated from Hospital Wastewater
title_full Surveillance of Multidrug-Resistant Genes in Clinically Significant Gram-Negative Bacteria Isolated from Hospital Wastewater
title_fullStr Surveillance of Multidrug-Resistant Genes in Clinically Significant Gram-Negative Bacteria Isolated from Hospital Wastewater
title_full_unstemmed Surveillance of Multidrug-Resistant Genes in Clinically Significant Gram-Negative Bacteria Isolated from Hospital Wastewater
title_short Surveillance of Multidrug-Resistant Genes in Clinically Significant Gram-Negative Bacteria Isolated from Hospital Wastewater
title_sort surveillance of multidrug resistant genes in clinically significant gram negative bacteria isolated from hospital wastewater
topic antimicrobial resistance
carbapenems
Gram-negative bacteria
treated effluent
wastewater
url https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/14/6/607
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