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Page No. : 10-14

ABSTRACT

The present study was conducted to determine the antibiotic susceptibility and resistance if any, of Brucella isolates of human and animal from different parts of India. A total of 40 Brucella isolates from man and animals (cattle, buffalo and and goat) consisting of B. abortus (26), B. melitensis (13) and B. suis (1) were tested for disc diffusion assay and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values for rifampicin, co-trimoxazole, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline and gentamicin using BBL, Difco antibiotic discs and MIC strip (Himedia) on Mueller Hinton Agar (MHA; BD,BBL) supplemented with equine serum (5%). All the isolates tested were susceptible to gentamicin. Rifampicin and co-trimoxazole resistance was seen in both human and animal isolates, while three isolates and one isolate of B. melitensis from human isolates were resistant to tetracycline and ciprofloxacin, respectively. Two B. abortus animal isolates were found to be intermediately sensitive to rifampicin and co-trimoxazole. A single B.suis isolate showed susceptibility to all antibiotics tested. Resistance to rifampicin and co-trimoxazole in both human and animal isolates is a cause for concern, necessitating the use of antibiotics with caution and the use of antibiotic sensitivity tests for Brucella isolates in endemic areas.

Keywords: Antibiotic resistance, antibiotic sensitivity test, Brucella, MIC