TITLE:
Profile and Antibiotic Resistance of Some Pathogenic Enterobacteria Isolated from Effluents from Social Housing in the City of Yaoundé-Cameroon
AUTHORS:
Samira Ngoupayou Ngayen, Mireille Ebiane Nougang, Awawou Manouore Njoya, Marie Nickelle Ngoupemgbie Njiawouo, Gérôme Leduc Ekassi, Issah Nji Mongou Moifon, Sanoussi Mohammadou, Brandy Sonia Fatou A Gondio, Fils Mamert Onana, Antoine Tamsa Arfao
KEYWORDS:
Domestic Effluents, Pathogenic Enterobacteria, Abiotic Factors, Antibiotic, Resistance Profile
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection,
Vol.14 No.3,
March
24,
2026
ABSTRACT: The increase in bacteria resistant to chemical agents, particularly with regard to antibiotics, is one of the world’s greatest health scourges. Among these bacteria are enterobacteria, which are frequently found in hospital and agricultural effluents, but also in domestic effluents. The aim of this study was to assess the abundance and resistance profile of some pathogenic enterobacteria isolated in effluents from social housing in the city of Yaoundé. Wastewater samples were collected at the discharge points of effluents in SIC camps in certain neighbourhoods of Yaoundé. The germs were isolated on Salmonella-Shigella medium by the surface spreading technique and then identified using standard biochemical techniques. Antibiotic susceptibility testing of enterobacteria isolated was done using the antibiotic disc diffusion method on Müller-Hinton agar. Physicochemical parameters were analyzed using appropriate techniques. Regarding bacterial abundance, a total of 371.45 × 105 CFU/mL belonging to the different genera of isolated enterobacteria was obtained, which enabled the identification of three species, namely Shigella dysenteria, which was the most prevalent with a percentage of 55%, followed by Salmonella tyhi (30%), and finally Proteus vulgaris (15%). The prevalence of antibiotic resistance varied from species to species in the different sampling points according to the season. Antibiotic susceptibility tests showed that in the dry season, the highest resistance rate was that of Proteus vulgaris (75%), while in the rainy season, the highest resistance rate was that of Shigella dysenteria (71%). Overall, the enterobacteria strains were resistant to several antibiotics used, such as amoxicillin, ampicillin, cefotaxime, penicillin, ciproflaxacin, and azithromycin, thus demonstrating the multi-resistant nature of these strains, particularly Salmonella typhi and Proteus vulgaris, for which the prevalence rate was 100 %. Physicochemical analyses showed that these effluents were alkaline (pH > 7.7), highly mineralized (electrical conductivity 1190.6µS/cm ± 644.04 µS/cm), and had a low temperature variation (25.75˚C ± 1.65˚C). Domestic effluents could be hotspots for the dissemination of resistant pathogenic enterobacteria, requiring optimisation of purification processes and increased monitoring to limit environmental contamination.