Plasmid Profiling and Multiple Antibiotic Resistance of Heterotrophic Bacteria Isolated from Muthupettai Mangrove Environment, Southeast Coast of India

A study was carried out multiple antibiotic resistance of total heterotrophic bacteria isolated from sediment samples in mangrove environment of Muthupettai, Southeast coast of India was during the period of April 2006-March 07. Six stations at different area of the mangrove sites were selected for sampling. The results of the present study revealed that resistance of heterotrophic bacteria strains (six hundred and eighty) were isolated and identified from mangrove environment. The levels of resistance of bacteria to various antibiotics differed considerably. Among these 6 species (22 strains) multiple antibiotic resistance bacteria were identified from all isolates such as Escherichia coli (6 strains), Vibrio parahaemolyticus (5 strains), Vibrio vulnificus (3 strains), Pseudomonas fluotescens (4 strains), Pseudomonas cepacia (2 strains) and Proteus vulgaris (2 strains). The all strains were also able to resistance concentration of antibiotics up to 150 μg mL-1. The isolated strains were screened for plasmid DNA by agarose gel electrophoresis and tested for susceptibility to 10 antibiotics by the agar dilution method. Twenty two strains belonging to 6 species have been found to Muthupettai mangroves 1-5 plasmids, with sizes ranging from 8-137 kb.