Prevalence of Antibiotic Resistance of E. coli isolated from drinking water collected from filter water plants of Saddar Cantonment area, Peshawar
Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria develop the ability to grow while being unaffected by antibiotics. Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria (ARB) and Antibiotic Resistant Genes (ARGs) in water supply system have been emerging as a growing public health concern. The presence of ARB and ARGs in source
2025-06-28 16:34:35 - Adil Khan
Prevalence of Antibiotic Resistance of E. coli isolated from drinking water collected from filter water plants of Saddar Cantonment area, Peshawar
Project Area of Specialization Biomedical EngineeringProject SummaryAntibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria develop the ability to grow while being unaffected by antibiotics. Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria (ARB) and Antibiotic Resistant Genes (ARGs) in water supply system have been emerging as a growing public health concern. The presence of ARB and ARGs in source water and drinking water may affect public health and it is an emerging issue in drinking water industry.
According to previous studies, aquatic environments are identified as an ideal setting for acquisition and dissemination of antibiotic resistance, and human exposure to ARG and ARGs may pose an additional health risk.
The main focus of the study is to check antibiotic resistance against specifically E. coli using six types of commonly used antibiotics. The results will conclude whether E. coli isolated from the source is antibiotic resistance and the quantity of antibiotic required to evaluate the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) of each antibiotic. To our knowledge, this will be the first prevalence study to establish the occurrence of antibiotic resistance of E.coli in drinking water which will be used as a proxy indicator to stipulate development of antibiotic resistance in the connected population, majority of which uses the water from the filter plants for drinking purposes.
The main objectives of the project include:
• Isolation of E. coli from filtered water sample
• Identification and Characterization of the isolated E. coli strain
• Testing Antibiotic resistance of isolated E. coli strain using disc diffusion method
• Determination of MIC on broth culture and of MBC via subculturing broth dilutions that inhibit bacterial growth
Drinking water sample will be collected from Water Treatment Plants located in Saddar, Peshawar, at 95% confidence level and 5% margin of error. The samples will be collected in accordance with water sample collection guidelines of “Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources”
First of all, isolation of E. coli will be done using Eosin Methylene Blue (EMB) media. EMB media is a selective media which works best for growing gram-negative bacteria. E. coli gives off green color when grown on EMB and therefore it will be isolated based on visual identification, followed by gram-staining microscopy morphological identification, which will further be subjected to biochemical test based on Bergey’s manual.
For characterization of the strain, 16S RNA gene sequencing will be done.
Next, the isolated E. coli strain is mixed with a saline solution which is then poured on top of Mueller Hinton Agar for the purpose of antibiotic susceptibility testing. The disk diffusion method will be used for this purpose. Various antibiotic disks are placed on the plate. The larger the diameter of the bacterial colony around the disk, the more resistant is the bacteria and vice versa.
Testing different antibiotics against E. coli would allow us to understand which antibiotic is more effective against E coli. In other words, the resistance pattern of E. coli against different Antibiotics of choice can be assessed.
As supplementary tests, MIC and MBC for the antibiotics ineffective against E. coli strain will be done. For MIC, serial dilutions in liquid growth media will be taken. The concentration of antibiotic in the clear media will signify the MIC for that antibiotic. The MBC will be assessed further by subculturing the broth dilutions of MIC tests to agar plates that do not contain the antibiotic. Bacterial growth will signify only inhibition while no growth will show bacteria was killed with the concentration of antibiotic.
According to previous studies, aquatic environments are identified as an ideal setting for the acquisition and dissemination of antibiotic resistance, and human exposure to ARB and ARGs may pose an additional health risk
To our knowledge, this will be the first study to establish antibiotic resistance in water samples from filter water plants as a proxy indicator to stipulate the development of antibiotic resistance in the connected population.
The benefit of the study in light of previous meta-studies would allow us to conclude if resistance to E. coli-targeting-antibiotics might be an extended effect of consumption of filter plant drinking water
The project will help us identify the antibiotics which are ineffective, partially effective and with adjustable effectivities with changing antibiotic concentrations against E. coli. With the results of the study applicable to the connected population considering the occurrence of resistant bacteria in the drinking water a proxy indicator of its occurrence in the population, the results can be recommended to the Municipality in case resistant E. coli was found and to the Department of Health for proposing alternative antibiotic and/or alternative concentrations of recommended antibiotic in event of E. coli infections.
Final Deliverable of the Project Software SystemCore Industry HealthOther Industries Medical , Food , Others Core Technology OthersOther Technologies OthersSustainable Development Goals Good Health and Well-Being for People, Clean Water and Sanitation, Responsible Consumption and Production, Partnerships to achieve the GoalRequired Resources| Item Name | Type | No. of Units | Per Unit Cost (in Rs) | Total (in Rs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total in (Rs) | 70550 | |||
| antibiotics | Equipment | 6 | 1000 | 6000 |
| EMB media (0.5kg) + Nutrient Agar (1 kg) + Mueller Hinton media (0.5kg) (1+1+1) | Equipment | 3 | 12850 | 38550 |
| Glassspreaders+PetriPlates+Flasks+TestTubes+Al-Foil(5*500+30*350+5*250+30*35+700 | Equipment | 1 | 16000 | 16000 |
| transport | Miscellaneous | 5 | 800 | 4000 |
| Stationary , thesis printing and binding | Miscellaneous | 1 | 6000 | 6000 |