MOLECULAR SCREENING FOR PREVALENCE OF ANTIBIOTIC-RESISTANT SALMONELLA SPP. IN DRINKING WATER SAMPLES FROM SLUM AREAS OF BHOPAL CITY, INDIA

The incidence of multiple antibiotic-resistant Salmonella spp. isolates in randomly collected potable water samples from 70 different slum area sites of Bhopal City, M. P. India, were investigated through a molecular approach.BSA media was used for isolation and CFU count of Salmonella spp. The DNA of representative Salmonella spp. Colors of each water sample were subjected to PCR to detect Amp, cmlA and tetA genes with standard PCR protocol with annealing at primers specific temperature for 1 minute 30 seconds. The presence of the target gene in the PCR product was detected on 1% agarose gel. An in-vitro antibiogram study was done to check the phenotypic antibiotic resistance. A total 74.29% of samples were reported to have a prevalence of Salmonella spp. with 44.19average CFU count and huge standard deviation (σ=28.28). Incidence of Amp, cmlA, and tetA genes is reported to be 67.31%, 36.54%, and 61.54% in Salmonella spp. Isolates from 52 samples which doesn’t coincide with the phenotypic prevalence of antibiotic resistance. 25, 17, and 11isolates showed resistance towards tetracycline, ampicillin, and chloramphenicol, respectively. The prevalence of phenotypic resistance towards ampicillin and incidence of amp gene in isolates were significant as the p < .05 in the case, contrarily chloramphenicol and tetracycline weren’t significant for the incidence of their respective genes cmlA and tetA since their p-values are not significant at p < .05. However, the prevalence of phenotypic resistance towards chloramphenicol and tetracycline was independent of incidence of their respective genes in isolates is a matter of further extensive investigation on responsible factors thus increasing the residence time of drug with better patient compliance.