Preliminary Investigation on the Resistance of Some Environmental Bacteria in Yola Metropolis, Adamawa State, Nigeria, to Biocides and Antibiotics

Background: Bacteria are capable of developing resistance against the effect of antibacterial agents used in eliminating them from their typical environment. This should be monitored to ensure an economic practice while eliminating or preventing bacteria in an environment. Objectives: The aim of this study was to isolate and identify environmental bacteria and investigate their ability to resist antibacterial effects of biocides and antibiotics. Methods: Environmental samples were collected and different bacterial isolates were obtained and characterized. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was carried out on ۶ of the obtained isolates. Results: Six different bacterial species were isolated and characterized from the environmental samples, including Staphylococcus aureus (۳۲%), Klebsiella spp. (۲۰%), Salmonella spp. (۱۶%), Proteus spp. (۱۵%), Staphylococcus spp. (۱۱%), and Serratia spp. (۶%). The most effective biocides were the Tiscol disinfectant and Dettol antiseptics while the most effective antibiotic was Tarivid. However, all the tested isolates showed different levels of resistance to all the antibacterials. Conclusions: Biocide and antibiotic resistant bacteria species were isolated from the environment and most of them showed some resistance to administered antibacterials; Staphylococcus aureus was the most resistant organism to antibiotics while Proteus spp. was the most resistant to the ۳ biocides. The ۳ biocides had different rates of inhibition, with Tiscol disinfectant and Dettol antiseptics having greater effectiveness against all the isolates.