Prevalence of antibiotic and heavy metal resistance in Gram negative bacteria isolated from rivers in northern Pakistan

Antibiotic and metal resistance is a global occurring phenomenon and a universal threat. The release of antibiotics and metals into the environment like natural water bodies stimulates resistant microbes that could become a reservoir for a resistant gene pool for other pathogenic bacteria. The aim of the study was to determine microbial diversity, distribution of antibiotic and metal resistance bacteria from five rivers. The resistance of 168 Gram negative isolates was tested against 10 antibiotics and five metals. The study revealed a high incidence of bacterial isolates resistant to ampicillin (44.7%), streptomycin (37.3%) and chloramphenicol (33.9%). The highest level of antibiotic resistance was detected in the River Ravi. The multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index of the five rivers ranged from <0.2 to 0.6. Isolates displayed tolerance to different concentrations of heavy metals. High antibiotic and metal‐resistances in samples from the Rivers Ravi and Soan suggest co‐resistance amongst the bacterial populations.