Airborne Menace: Unveiling antibiotic resistance in bacteria around household waste containers

The increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria and air contamination is a critical issue that requires significant scientific attention. This study was undertaken to isolate, identify, and detect antibiotic-resistant bacteria around garbage containers located in Jeddah city. A total of 40 plates were exposed to the air around garbage containers in major areas of the city such as Al-Salama, Al-Zahra, Al-Safa, and Al-Faisaliyah. The sample plates were taken to the laboratory within an hour for incubation. In total, 38 airborne bacteria were isolated and identified. Overall, 26.325 % of isolates showed multiple drug resistance (MDR). The highest percentage of resistance was seen against ampicillin (90 %), cefotaxime (80 %), cefuroxime (80 %), ceftrazime (80 %), augmentin (50 %), and cefoperazone (20 %). The multiple antibiotic index is seen between 0.16 and 0.5. Al-Safa and Al-Salama were regions that showed the highest contamination of airborne antibiotic-resistant bacteria. These results suggest that the selected area has a significant prevalence of multiple drug resistance to routinely used antibiotics. Due to selection pressure, contaminants like bacteria or other pollutants around garbage containers cause antibiotic resistance, which leads to a global public health crisis. Therefore, to combat antimicrobial resistance, a collaborative, multidisciplinary, and regulatory approach is required.