Abstract BACKGROUND: Medical waste contains substantial environmental and public health issues because it may include harmful and antibiotic-resistant microbes. This study looks at the microbiological aspects of medical waste, including bacterial contamination, antibiotic resistance trends, and the possibility of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) via conjugation. METHODS: In the present study, samples were collected from the waste disposal area of a tertiary hospital, and the microbiological analysis and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of the isolates from the samples were determined through conventional cultural techniques and Kirby–Bauer disc diffusion methods. Furthermore, conjugation studies were done to evaluate the HGT of antibiotic resistance bacteria. RESULTS: In this study, an elevated number of microbial load was identified in both the liquid and solid wastes, including Escherichia coli , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Staphylococcus aureus , Proteus spp., Salmonella spp., and Vibrio spp., ranging from 3.9 to 5.8 log cfu/ml or g. Isolates were found to be resistant against more than one antibiotic, particularly against vancomycin, oxacillin, and chloramphenicol. Moreover, the conjugation test demonstrated the transmission of resistance genes across bacterial isolates (from a resistant to sensitive one). CONCLUSION: The findings of this study demonstrate the critical need for strict medical waste management rules, such as correct segregation, treatment, and disposal, to minimize microbial contamination and antimicrobial resistance propagation. Advanced sterilizing processes and strict waste disposal rules are crucial for reducing the environmental and health dangers connected with medical waste.
Nayema et al. (Tue,) studied this question.