Integrated Pharmacy Research and Practice (Dec 2014)
Antibacterial quality of some antibiotics available in five administrative areas along the national borders of Tanzania
Abstract
Kennedy D Mwambete Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Introduction: In developing countries like Tanzania, bacterial infections are becoming increasingly difficult to treat with available antibiotics. Poor quality antibiotics jeopardize the management of bacterial infections and contribute to the development of antibiotic resistance. Poor storage and harsh tropical climatic conditions accelerate deterioration of antibiotics. Hence, this study investigated the antibacterial effect of antibiotics available in five administrative regions along the national borders of Tanzania. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study involved the purchase of antibiotics from the Mwanza, Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Mbeya, and Kagera administrative regions. The Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion method was employed to assess antibacterial effects of the antibiotics against Salmonella typhi, Klebsiella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli. Inhibition zones (IZ) were determined as previously described. Analysis of variance was used to examine the IZ measured using test antibiotics to their respective control antibiotics; differences were considered significant at P<0.05. Results: Seventy-six antibiotic samples from 22 manufacturers were tested. Six antibiotic samples were from anonymous manufacturers and 29 antibiotic samples had no manufacturing or expiration dates. Different samples of the same antibiotics produced variable results. IZ measured using different samples of ampicillin (AMP) and ciprofloxacin and their control antibiotics revealed significant differences when tested against S. typhi (P<0.05). Samples of tetracycline and chloramphenicol resulted in IZ comparable to their controls against S. typhi. All samples of AMP yielded comparable IZ on Klebsiella spp., whereas samples of chloramphenicol and tetracycline exerted IZ against P. aeruginosa that were not statistically different from their respective control antibiotics (P>0.05). Ambiguous antibacterial profiles were exhibited by samples of AMP, chloramphenicol, cotrimoxazole, and amoxicillin as compared to their respective control antibiotics. Conclusion: Differences in antibacterial effects were found among samples of the same type of antibiotic. Results suggest the existence of counterfeit and/or substandard drugs in Tanzania. Keywords: antibiotics, antibiotic resistance, counterfeit antibiotics
