Microbiological and Toxicological Assessment of Pharmaceutical Wastewater from the Lagos Megacity, Nigeria

Abstract

We conducted a microbiological and toxicological profiling of a pharmaceutical wastewater, one of the major wastes entering the Lagos lagoon. The morphological characterization of seven bacterial isolates from the wastewater indicated that 4 of them were gram positive bacilli while 3 were cocci of both gram reactions. The bacterial isolates exhibited varying degrees of enzyme activities but most were able to hydrolyze starch to yield amylase. Only 3 of the isolates showed prospects as antibacterial agents, given their moderate inhibition to Staphylococcus xylosus relative to 8 other species tested. Overall, 81.3% of the isolates were resistant, and 3.3% were susceptible while 15.4% of the isolates showed intermediate sensitivity to the antibiotics. The assessment of antioxidant activities in liver samples of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, exposed to sublethal concentrations of the effluents indicated some form of oxidative stress given the higher levels of lipid peroxidation product, malondialdehyde, in the exposed fishes relative to the control kept in dechlorinate tap water. But for reduced glutathione, activities of the antioxidative stress enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione-s-transferase (GST), were higher in the effluent exposed tilapia. Responses were not dose dependent and enzyme activities were often higher at day 14 compared to day 28. This relevance of the findings to water quality was discussed.

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“…The physicochemical properties of the multivitamin production effluent showed that alkalinity (118 mg/L), total dissolved solids (313 mg/L) and dissolved oxygen (11.0 mg/L) were high. This is similar to the report of Obasi et al, (2014) and Agboola and Fawole (2014). The high alkalinity could cause fish death, damage to outer surfaces like gills, eyes, and skin and an inability to dispose metabolic wastes thereby, increasing ammonia which can Plate 3.…”

Biodegradation of Pollutants in Waste Water from Pharmaceutical, Textile and Local Dye Effluent in Lagos, Nigeria

“…32 In addition, Obasi et al, similarly reported the presence of zinc and nickel in pharmaceutical waste water from Lagos Metropolitan Area. 33 These metals are known to be readily soluble in water, which makes them available for aquatic life to take up. These metals can also be taken up into the fat tissues of aquatic organisms and become magnified along the food chain, which may lead to detrimental health issues if the there is no proper check on industrial discharges.…”

The Threat of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in the Aquatic Environment via Wastewater Generated from Healthcare Facilities

“…Most of the pollutants in questions range from pharmaceuticals, chemical compounds, metals, media remnants, antibiotics, disinfectants, radioactive isotopes, and stock cultures [9]. In some instances, some pharmaceuticals present in hospital wastewater have been implicated in causing the disruption of the endocrine system, impairment of the reproductive system and sex reversal in some aquatic species [10]. The discharge of this wastewater has led to the build-up of nutrients in the receiving aquatic ecosystem, leading to eutrophication [7].…”