Open AccessElucidation of health risks using metataxonomic and antibiotic resistance profiles of microbes in flood affected waterbodies, Kerala 2018
Author(s) -
Shankar Aparna,
Jagajeedas Devika,
Radhakrishnan Megha Periyappilly,
Paul Merin,
Narendrakumar Lekshmi,
Suryaletha Karthika,
Akhila Velappan Savithri,
Nair Sudha Babu,
Thomas Sabu
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of flood risk management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.049
H-Index - 36
ISSN - 1753-318X
DOI - 10.1111/jfr3.12673
Subject(s) - flood myth , sanitation , antibiotic resistance , waterborne diseases , geography , outbreak , environmental science , environmental health , water resource management , biology , ecology , water quality , antibiotics , environmental engineering , microbiology and biotechnology , medicine , virology , archaeology
The floods of 2018 caused havoc in the State of Kerala, situated in the extreme south‐west of India, in terms of infrastructure and health. This research article provides the first‐ever assessment of the bacterial diversity and its antibiotic susceptibility of the inundated areas of Pampa, Periyar and Vembanad waterbodies by comparing the data collected in two different time intervals succeeding the calamitous floods that is, immediately after flood and 5 months post‐flood. An elevated total coliform count was detected in the waterbodies after the flood thereby rendering it unsafe for drinking. Variation in bacterial diversity was observed in the river and lake water samples with a distinct increase in that of the river samples immediately after flood indicated by shannon diversity index (>5.5). Resistance to ampicillin and cefotaxime was observed in a major proportion of isolates from the three biotopes thus indicating the influence of antibiotic wastes accumulated from different sources of human interventions. Furthermore, operational taxonomic units clustering to Acinetobacter , Legionella, Pseudomonas and Burkholderia genera were detected by metataxonomic analysis which portray as a potential health risk in the future. The article emphasises the importance of adopting sanitation programmes for effective management of epidemic outbreaks post floods.