Abstract
The research is on the isolation, characterization, and identification of bacteria in wastewater from some selected hospitals in Ovia North L.G.A, Benin City, Edo State.
Wastewater refers to water which carries waste in solution or suspension that is intended to be removed or discarded by a community, industrial sector, hospitals, etc. The wastewater discharged from hospitals is quite different from the wastewater discharged from other sources and is hazardous and infectious. It is made up of a wide range of several micro- and macro-pollutants, discharged from operation (surgery) rooms, wards, laboratories, laundry, polyclinics, research units, radiology, and medicine and nutrient solutions used in microbiology laboratories. The laboratory study was aimed at isolating and identifying bacterial isolates in wastewater from selected hospitals and analyzing their antibiotic sensitivity pattern of these isolated from hospital wastewater. The samples were cultured by the spread plate technique and isolates were identified by standard cultural and biochemical methods. The mean total heterotrophic counts (THC) for the effluents from sampling point A (2.8 X105 cfu/ml) was higher than that of sampling point C (2.2 X105 cfu/ml). A predominant isolate, Staphylococcus spp., showed a high level of susceptibility to many of the tested antibiotics like perfloxacin, gentamycin, ampiclox, zinnacef, amoxacillin, recephin, ciprofloxacin, azithromycin, levofloxacin, and erythromycin. The most predominant gram negative isolate, Escherichia coli, showed resistance to zinnacef and azithromycin. The presence of Staphylococcus, Bacillus, and Escherichia coli in hospital wastewater underscores the complex interplay between human health, environmental contamination, and antibiotic resistance. Staphylococcus species, including Staphylococcus aureus, are opportunistic pathogens capable of causing a wide range of infections, while Escherichia coli, particularly pathogenic strains, can cause severe gastrointestinal illnesses, highlighting the importance of effective wastewater management to prevent the transmission of waterborne diseases.
