Antibiotic resistance is a global issue which is magnified by interspecies horizontal gene transfer. Understanding antibiotic resistance in bacteria in a natural setting is crucial to check whether they are multidrug resistant (MDR) and possibly avoid outbreaks. In this study, we have isolated several antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) (n = 128) from the mangroves in Kerala, India. ARBs were distributed based on antibiotics (p = 1.6 × 10-5). The 16S rRNA gene characterization revealed dominance by Bacillaceae (45%), Planococcaceae (22.5%), and Enterobacteriaceae (17.5%). A high proportion of the isolates were MDR (75%) with maximum resistance to methicillin (70%). Four isolates affiliated to plant-growth promoters, probiotics, food, and human pathogens were resistant to all antibiotics indicating the seriousness and prevalence of MDR. A significant correlation (R = 0.66; p = 2.5 × 10-6) was observed between MDR and biofilm formation. Antagonist activity was observed in 62.5% isolates. Gram-positive isolates were more susceptible to antagonism (75.86%) than gram-negative (36.36%) isolates. Antagonism interactions against gram-negative isolates were lower (9.42%) when compared to gram-positive isolates (89.85%). Such strong antagonist activity can be harnessed for inspection of novel antimicrobial mechanisms and drugs. Our study shows that MDR with strong biofilm formation is prevalent in natural habitat and if acquired by deadly pathogens may create havoc in public health.
Keywords: antagonism; antibiotic-resistant genes; biofilm; mangrove; multidrug resistance.