PHYSIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS AND OCCURRENCE OF ANTIBIOTIC-RESISTANT BACTERIA WITH ANTIBIOTIC-RESISTANT GENES IN WELL WATER AROUND BINH DAI DISTRICT – BEN TRE PROVINCE

Abstract

Antibiotic resistance has become a global concern for human health. Many previous studies have identified the presence and prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and genes in domestic water, surface water, wastewater, and other water sources. However, the presence of bacteria containing antibiotic resistance genes in well water has not been extensively investigated. In this study, the quality of well water from 7 communes in Binh Dai district, Ben Tre province was preliminarily evaluated based on physicochemical and microbiological parameters. Physicochemical analysis revealed that most well water samples were acidic (pH < 7), and only well water in Chau Hung and Phu Thuan communes met domestic water standards according to QCVN 02:2009/BYT for the parameters in survey. Microbiological analysis showed that the total aerobic heterotrophic bacteria in well water ranged from 50.0 ± 2.0 CFU/L to 142.3 ± 9.9 CFU/L. Water samples from Thoi Thuan commune showed the highest antibiotic resistance rates of 27.9%, 28.9%, 11.7%, 21.4%, and 19.7% for ampicillin, amoxicillin, cefazolin, penicillin G, and tetracycline, respectively. Three multidrug-resistant bacterial strains were identified as Enterobacter cloacae, Bacillus cereus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Analysis revealed the presence of blaTEM, blaCTX-M, and tetM genes in the isolated bacteria. These preliminary results demonstrated the presence of bacteria harboring antibiotic resistance genes in well water, thereby providing important information for assessing the impact of antibiotic resistance status on public and human health.