Antibiogram profiling of bacteria isolated from water, seafood, and macroplastic samples from Baseco beach, Manila Bay

Abstract

Manila Bay plays an important role both in economics and ecology because it serves as the major economic center of the Philippines and harbors different habitats and biodiversity. Unfortunately, it is threatened by various pollutions including the unregulated discharge of wastewater from industrial, agricultural, and household sectors. In addition, improper disposal of trash such as macroplastics contributes to the current state of Manila Bay. The purpose of this study is to determine the antibiogram profile of bacteria isolated from water, seafood, and macroplastic samples from Baseco Beach, Manila Bay. In this study, 30 isolates were obtained from different samples from Baseco Beach, Manila Bay and 14 species of bacteria were identified. Only 20% of the 30 isolates shows susceptibility to all six antibiotics, 23% is resistant to only one class of antibiotic while 57% is resistant to two or more classes of antibiotic. Only one isolate is resistant to gentamicin and all isolates are susceptible to chloramphenicol. Interestingly, three antibiotic resistant (AMR) bacteria were isolated from macroplastics namely Pseudomonas oleovorans (S2), Vibrio alginolyticus (S5), and Pseudomonas alcaligenes (S29) which are all resistant to ampicillin and cefazolin. This is the first study in the Philippines to isolate AMR bacteria from macroplastics from Manila Bay. The presence of AMR bacteria in macroplastics shows that these materials can be a reservoir for its dynamics and distribution. Lastly, with the emergence of antimicrobial resistant bacteria, the elucidation of the antibiogram profile of bacteria is necessary to determine its implication and threats to public health.