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Proceedings of the International Academy of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, 2025, 15(2): 40-52
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Article

Evaluating the resistance of indigenous bacteria to multi-metal contaminant and their co-relation with antibiotic resistance

Srishti Chandra, Ragini Gothalwal
Department of Biotechnology, Barkatullah University, Bhopal, M.P, 462026, India

Received 4 October 2024;Accepted 10 November 2024;Published online 25 November 2024;Published 1 June 2025
IAEES

Abstract
The accumulation of heavy metals resulting from the immersion of idols in local water bodies can lead to adverse effects, disrupting the growth, metabolism, and reproduction of organisms and impacting the entire trophic chain, including humans. In light of this, the current study investigated the resistance of indigenous bacteria isolated from idol immersion sites to three distinct heavy metals (Mn+2, Pb+2, and Zn+2) and their consortia. Water samples collected from the idol immersion site were utilized to isolate bacteria, for the present study. The relative growth of bacterial isolates was assessed in the presence of heavy metals and their consortia using the agar dilution method, while their antibiotic susceptibility was determined through the Kirby-Bauer Disc Diffusion method. The growth of bacterial isolates varied with the increasing concentration of each heavy metal in the supplemented medium, yet the general order of resistance against the metals was observed as Pb > Zn > Mn. Among the three most robust isolates, two (Bacillus spp 1 and Bacillus spp 2) exhibited heightened tolerance to the consortia of heavy metals (Mn+2, Pb+2, and Zn+2) up to 400 ¦Ìg mL-1. Antibiotic investigation revealed that the isolates were resistant to gentamycin and kanamycin, possibly due to mechanisms such as target modification, altered permeability, antibiotic inactivation, and metabolic pathway bypass. As a result, these bacteria hold promise for further exploration in the bioremediation of polluted water containing multiple toxic metals.

Keywords antibiotics;heavy metal;idol immersion;religious practice;bioremediation.


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