Untitled

Abstract

Plasmids play a key role in the horizontal spread of antibiotic resistance determinants among bacterial pathogens. The microbial quantity and quality of air around a dumpsite at Erifun, Ado -Ekiti was investigated for a period of 2 months (October -December, 2018) using standard microbiological culturing techniques. Antibiotic assay was done using disc diffusion method, plasmid profile of the isolates were determined using alkaline lysis method and agar gel electrophoresis while amylase and lipase activity and optimization were done using enzyme assay. The microbial load decreased with distance from the dumpsite and the microbial loads were higher than regulatory limits. The total bacterial count at different sampling points and intervals (morning, afternoon and evening) for the period of four weeks were estimated. It ranged from 3.8 × 10 3 to 7.4 × 10 3 (for morning), 2.4 × 10 3 to 3.5 × 10 3 (for afternoon) and 3.3 × 10 3 to 5.5 × 10 3 (for evening). The fungal growths for morning periods were high with each day having 4.8 × 10 5 , 4.1 × 10 5 , 4.5 × 10 4 and 5.2 × 10 3 fungal spores/mL. The fungal growth measured at 50 and 100 m away from the dumpsite was low (4.2 x 10 5 spores/mL) and lower (3.9 × 10 5 spores/mL), respectively. The prevalence of bacteria isolated were Staphylococcus sp. (12%), Streptococcus spp. (14%), Bacillus sp. (16%), Pseudomonas spp. (22%), Escherichia coli (34%), and Klebsiella spp. (18%). However, multi-drug resistant pattern revealed that Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were resistant to most of the antibiotic agents used. The plasmid profile and enzymatic assay carried out on Pseudomonas spp. and Staphylococcus spp. revealed that the dumping of refuse in a neighbourhood is a risk to sound health and this is fully discussed.