A study of prevalence and antimicrobial resistance and pathogenic activity of bacteria in the air of Dhaka city

Abstract

Air pollution in Dhaka city is a burning question now. A new study suggests that Bangladesh composes the most polluted air with Dhaka securing the second position in terms of pollution (daily star). According to air visual 2018 reports, Dhaka city is ranked number 17th amongst the world’s most polluted cities. The purpose of this study is the enumeration of the prevalence of different types of microbes existing in the air of Dhaka city. This identification was done through biochemical tests and their antibiotic resistance pattern was also analyzed. The organisms were then screened for pathogenicity by blood agar hemolysis and DNase test. After the detection of some potential pathogens, in order to make the biochemical identification more rigid, 16srRNA sequencing of the organisms was done to conclusively identify the pathogenic species in air. Thirteen potential pathogens were detected among which two organisms, namely, Shigella dysenteriae, Staphylococcus spp. were also found to be multidrug-resistant by performing disc diffusion test against most commonly used antibiotics. Alongside, a comparison of total CFU count with the temperature and humidity record respectively at the time of sample collection was done. This helped to build a comparative study of the effect of important factors like temperature and humidity on the growth of air microbes.