ABSTRACT
Introduction: This baseline study evaluated the airborne bacteriological index through enumeration, isolation and identification of airborne bacterial isolates of Akanu Ibiam Hall (Hall 4) Hostel in University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State. Antibiotic susceptibility of the bacterial isolates as well as the multiple antibiotic resistance index (MARI) and multiple drug resistance (MDR) were also evaluated.
Materials and Methods: Standard technique of open Petri-dish settling was used for sampling hostel rooms from July to September 2019. Cultural, morphological and biochemical procedures were used to identify the bacterial isolates obtained from the sampling sites. Antibiotic susceptibility diffusion test disc method for antimicrobial susceptibility testing and Multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) was applied.
Results: The mean counts in colony forming units (cfu) for all locations as total culturable heterotrophic bacteria count ranged from 1.2 x 10-3 to 7.3x10-3 (cfu/m-3) from July to September. The highest value of bacterial load was in July 7.3 X10-3, whereas the lowest was in September 7.3 X10-3 and expressed in colony forming unit (cfu). The cultural test for bacterial identification showed the growth of single, pairs and irregular clusters of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella sp. with biochemical test confirmation. The multiple antibiotics resistance index (MARI) for Pseudomonas aeruginosa were on Amoxicillin Clavulanate (AUG), Cefotaxime (CTX), Ceftriaxone Sulbactarm (CRO), Cefexime (ZEM), Ciprofloxacin (CIP), Cefuroxime (CXM) with resistance index of 0.3. Klebsiella sp. indicated multiple antibiotics resistance index (MARI) for Nitrofurantoin (NF), Cefuroxime (CXM), Ceftriaxone Sulbactarm (CRO), Ampiclox (ACX), Cefexime (ZEM), Amoxicillin Clavulanate (AUG), Cefotaxime (CTX) and Imipenem (IMP) with 0.4 resistant index.
Conclusion: Since microorganisms are microscopic living organisms that are ubiquitous in the environment as well as deleterious to mankind. These bacterial isolates could be linked with several infections and causing respiratory tract infections. These findings would alert the students to these isolates obtained and their existence in hostel rooms as well as antibiotics susceptibility to ensure best antibiotics to be used in the treatment of bacterial infection associated with airborne.
