Aims: Bacteria are microorganisms that are commonly distributed in any environment. They are also found abundantly in marine environments such as waterfalls and rivers. Some bacteria participate in various biological activities and possess no health risk; however, other species could be pathogenic and have been directly associated with various diseases in animals and humans. Therefore, it is crucial to analyze the antibiotic resistance profiles of bacteria in the research area based on regularly used antibiotics in clinical and agricultural contexts to establish a data baseline for health providers and public usage. Methodology and results: Water samplings were done twice and collected from upstream, midstream, and downstream of the Sikog waterfall. A total of ninety isolates were isolated and analyzed using (GTG)5 genetic fingerprinting to determine the genetic similarities. Based on the dendrogram generated using Gelj Version 2.0 software, 41 bacterial isolates were subjected to 16S rRNA gene sequencing for species identification. The Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method was implemented to determine the level of susceptibility toward certain antibiotics. Sequence analysis was performed using BLAST, revealing that the isolates constitute 17 genera, including Pseudomonas, Alcaligenes, Stenotrophomonas, Staphylococcus, Bacillus, Lysinibacillus, Rossellomorea, Citrobacter, Enterobacter, Kosakonia, Klebsiella, Escherichia, Serratia, Cronobacter, Aeromonas, Chromobacterium and Kocuria. According to the overall antibiotic susceptibility analysis, streptomycin (10 µg) exhibited the highest rate of resistance among bacterial isolates, with 36.84%, followed by penicillin (10 units) (36.36%), rifampicin (5 µg) (27.27%) and ampicillin (10 µg) (26.32%). Conclusion, significance and impact of study The research findings revealed the predominant bacteria found in the recreational water of Sikog waterfall and their antibiotic susceptibility, which could be helpful in the treatment of bacterial infections for future clinical reference. Simultaneously, the public, particularly communities in the study area, should be informed about the potential health risk associated with diverse resistant enteric bacteria in the recreational water.

Aims: Aquaculture has grown tremendously in Malaysia over the past decades. However, guaranteeing aquaculture sustainability is a big challenge in terms of maintaining continuous output with a safe environment. Furthermore, the cultured species should be free from antibiotic resistance bacterial and antibiotic residue. This study aimed to monitor the existence and prevalence of antibiotic resistant bacteria associated with aquaculture farms in Sarawak. Methodology and results: Samples of water, sediment and fish were collected from five aquaculture farms within Sarawak. The samples were plated on trypticase soy agar and incubated at 28 °C for 24 h. A total of 204 bacterial isolates were isolated and analysed by (GTG)5-fingerprinting to determine genetic similarity among the bacterial isolates, so that representatives could be selected from similar clonal isolates. Based on the (GTG)5 profiles, 50 representative isolates were chosen for species identification using 16S rRNA sequencing. The identified bacteria were tested against 25 antibiotics using standard disk diffusion method. The 16S rRNA analysis revealed that the isolates constitute of 14 genera of bacteria including Bacillus (38%), Exiguobacterium (16%), Enterobacter (14%), Aeromonas (6%), Acinetobacter (4%), Citrobacter (4%), Staphylococcus (4%), Achromobacter (2%), Chitinophaga (2%), Fictibacillus (2%), Plesiomonas (2%), Pseudomonas (2%), Pseudoxanthomonas (2%) and Stenotrophomonas (2%). The antibiotic resistance analysis revealed that the highest percentage of resistance was recorded against streptomycin (75.0%), followed by ampicillin (66.0%), ceftriaxone (50.0%), rifampin (43.3%), aztreonam (36.8%) and ceftazidime (31.6%). Resistance to more than two antibiotics was observed in 40.0% of isolates with an overall multiple antibiotic resistant (MAR) index ranging from 0 to 0.79. Conclusion, significant and impact of study The variability of antibiotic resistance patterns exhibited by different bacterial species suggests a dependence on selective pressures exhibited in different geographical locations. Our results show that the occurrence of MAR bacteria in an aquaculture environment with unknown history of antibiotics usage in the aquaculture system is possible, indicating a need to continuously monitor the presence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in the aquaculture system.
Drug Resistance, Microbial ; Aquaculture ; Malaysia