Strong cephalosporin resistant uropathogen, Proteus mirabilis, in urban tap water harbors a risk to public health, Bangladesh

Aktar Uzzaman Chouduri*, Abdul Wadud

Department of Pharmacy, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi-6205, Bangladesh

*Corresponding Author’s Email: auchow5@yahoo.com; Tel: +88-0721-711110; +88-01712792350; Fax:

+88-0721750064.

Accepted 11 November, 2013

Abstract

Eleven Proteus strains belonging four species were isolated in our previous study aimed for microbial quality assessment of urban supplied water. The obtained HPC ranged from 1×10³ to 296×10³ CFU/ml and TCC from 10 to 890 CFU/ml which exceeded WHO, ISI and USEPA minimal limits that indicated the presence of pathogens of different genus and species in samples. Elevated TCC was an indicator of pathogens from fecal origin. Two isolates, designated as Pm1 and Pm2, were identified as Proteus mirabilis that were strongly resistant to cephalosporins of ceftazidime, cefixime, ceftriaxone indicating the exposure of isolates to antimicrobials from human or animal sources in nature and the inhibitory pathway of cephalosporins were protected in these isolates. The spectrum of resistance against twelve tested antibiotics in Pm1 was higher (0.58) than that of Pm2 (0.42) based on their MAR index. Alternatively backdated drugs- penicillin, amoxycillin, ampicillin- showed strong inhibition of all isolates including Pm. Now-a-days, the extensive use of cephalosporins offered the pathogens to be resistant against them but the effectiveness of backdated drugs revealed the revival of antibiotics that still can be used for infection control. The swarming motility and cell proliferation of Pm isolates were independent of the spectrum of resistance.

Keywords: Proteus mirabilis, strong cephalosporin resistance, amoxycillin, cell proliferation.