STUDIES ON ANTIBIOTICS AND HEAVY METAL RESISTANCE PROFILING OF ESCHERICHIA COLI FROM DRINKING WATER AND CLINICAL SPECIMENS

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics and heavy metals is an increasing problem in today’s society. Antibiotics resistances in the clinical isolates were high as compare to E.coli from drinking water. The drinking water and clinical E.coli showed more or less equal resistance to antibiotic: metronidazole, penicillin, clindamycin, cephoxithin and heavy metals; copper, mercury and lead, except cadmium metal ions. Multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) indices in the clinical isolates were high as compare to MAR indices of drinking water. E.coli isolates showed higher MAR indices to cephalothin, cephoxithin, clindamycin, metronidazole, penicillin and vancomycin indicated its human origin in drinking water. No significant variation in heavy metal tolerance (HMT) was recorded from both types of isolated. Thus MAR indices were much more reliable indicator to differentiate origin of E.coli.