The emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance (ABR) have been a public health challenge globally. The burden is even higher in low-income countries where there is a lack of appropriate healthcare systems, and inappropriate antibiotic disposal practices and utilization. Due to poor solid waste disposal practices in developing nations, municipal solid waste dumpsite (MSWDS) can be a reservoir for ABR bacteria. However, only a few studies demonstrated the prevalence of ABR in non-clinical environments such as MSWDS. This study assessed the prevalence of ABR bacteria at Bahir Dar City MSWDS, to understand the public health risks related to poor solid waste disposal systems. Nine soil samples were collected from the dumpsite. Bacteria were isolated, identified and tested for ABR. Seventy-one distinct colonies were isolated from all samples and identified into 10 bacterial genera based on morphological features and biochemical tests. For ABR tests, gentamicin (GN, 10 μg), streptomycin (ST, 30 μg), tetracycline (TE, 30 μg), ciprofloxacin (CIP, 5 μg), nalidixic acid (NAA, 30 μg), sulfonamide (SA, 250 μg), chloramphenicol (C, 30 μg), erythromycin (E, 15 μg), vancomycin (V, 30 μg), and amoxicillin (AMX, 25 μg) were used. The most frequently isolated bacteria were Staphylococcus (23%) followed by Escherichia species (17%). Ten isolates related to Bacillus spp. were excluded from the antibiotic sensitivity test as there is no standard regarding this genus in the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. The overall antibiotic résistance rate was 95.08%, and most isolates were found to be resistant to amoxicillin (100%), nalidixic acid (75.5%), and vancomycin (75%). Substantial proportions of the isolates were also resistant to tetracycline (55.35%), streptomycin (54.5%), and sulfonamide (50%). The overall multidrug resistance (MDR) rate was 36.06%. This high level of ABR calls for urgent intervention in waste management systems and regular surveillance programs.
