Prevalence of multidrug-resistant bacteria in groundwater supplies in Osogbo, Southwest Nigeria.

The occurrence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria in ground-water samples from Osogbo, southwest Nigeria was investigated in this study. Bacteria isolated from the water samples were tested against antibiotics by disc diffusion method. Out of the 113 gram-- negative bacteria isolated, E. coli (28.32%) was the most predominant and the least was Serratia spp. (2.65%). All the isolates were 100% resistant to cefuroxime and <20% susceptible to ceftazidime and cefixime. More than 99% of the isolates were MDR and 33 (29.20%) were resistant to at least five classes of antibiotics. High prevalence of MDR bacteria in the groundwater indicates that the water sources are reservoirs of antibiotic resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]