IDENTIFICATION OF MULTI-DRUG RESISTANT BACTERIALISOLATES

The discharge of untreated abattoir effluents into the environment poses significant public health risks, particularly due to the spread of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria. This study aimed to isolate and characterize MDR bacteria from soil samples contaminated with abattoir effluents in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. Soil samples were collected fromfive abattoirsEkehuan, Santana Market, University of Benin (UNIBEN), Oluku, and Ikpoba—at a depthof5–10 cm and analyzed microbiologically. The highest bacterial load was recorded at UNIBEN abattoir (5.56 log₁₀ CFU/mL), while Ekehuan had the lowest (3.96 log₁₀ CFU/mL). Morphological and biochemical identification revealed Escherichia coli, Bacillus sp., Staphylococcus sp., Proteus sp., Pseudomonas sp., Salmonella sp., and Klebsiella sp. as the predominant isolates. Escherichia coli was the most prevalent (23.33%), followed by Bacillus sp. (21.05%) and Staphylococcus sp. (16.34%). Antibiotic susceptibility testing showed high resistance levels, with Gram-positive bacteria, Staphylococcus Aureus having a multiple-resistant index of 0.4 while Pseudomonas sp and E coli exhibit the highest resistant indexof0.6 respectively. The presence of MDR bacteria in abattoir effluents highlights the need for improved wastewater management and antimicrobial resistance monitoring to mitigate environmental and public health risks