<b>Chlorine and antibiotic-resistant bacilli isolated from an effluent treatment plant</b> - doi: 10.4025/actascitechnol.v35i1.12951

Abstract

Resistance to different concentrations of chlorine and the susceptibility to antibiotics by bacteria isolated from the final effluent of the Pici Campus wastewater treatment plant of the Federal University of Ceará (UFC) is evaluated. Twelve strains, morphologically and biochemically identified as belonging to the genus Bacillus, were selected. The strains were submitted to sodium hypochlorite at different contact times and tested against the antibiotics amoxicillin, erythromycin, chloramphenicol, tetracycline, and vancomycin. All strains were resistant to concentration 0.1 ppm chlorine up to 30 minutes, but bacteria resistant to concentrations up to 5,000 ppm for 10 minutes were detected. Bacterial growth was impaired in 10,000 ppm concentration. The strains presented three antibiotic resistance profiles, 50% were sensitive to all antibiotics, 25% were resistant to one antibiotic and 25% were resistant to two antibiotics.

Keywords

• bacteria
• susceptibility
• hypochlorite
• antimicrobial