Bacterial diversity and antimicrobial resistance profile in urban water sources of Santarém, Pará in the Amazon

Abstract

Water is essential for human health and development, but its quality is threatened by increasing anthropogenic pressure on aquatic ecosystems. This is particularly evident in urban areas, where population growth and lack of basic sanitation result in water pollution. This study was carried out in the urban and peri-urban areas of Santarém, in the state of Pará, with the aim of evaluating bacterial diversity and antibiotic resistance in water sources used by the population. Samples were collected at 5 points, resulting in the identification of 129 bacterial strains, which were identified by morphological and biochemical tests, with a predominance of Corynebacterium sp., Clostridium sp., Lactobacillus sp. and h as Staphylococcus sp., Shigella sp., Yersinia sp. and Serratia sp., which represent a potential risk to public health due to bacterial contamination in water sources. Antibiotic sensitivity was assessed using the Kirby-Bauer (disk diffusion) technique, and high resistance to penicillins was observed in gram-positive strains, while gram-negative strains showed sensitivity to all antimicrobials tested. However, 78.2% of the strains tested showed resistance to at least one antimicrobial, which represents a worrying rate of multidrug resistance. Bacterial resistance to antimicrobials represents a significant challenge to public health, requiring a multifaceted approach that includes policies for the appropriate use of antimicrobials and improvements in basic sanitation.