The Threat of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in the Aquatic Environment via Wastewater Generated from Healthcare Facilities

Abstract

In most developing countries of the world and few advanced ones, wastewater are discharged into the environment without any form of treatment, thus exposing the general public to hazardous chemicals, residual antibiotics, heavy metals and so many antimicrobial compounds. This chapter deals with the threat posed by methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) introduced into the aquatic ecosystem via wastewater generated from the operations of healthcare facilities. It focuses more on the microbiology and composition of wastewater from the hospital environment, and the role they played as a stimulant for the development of resistance in bacteria, while also emphasizing their roles as important reservoirs of MRSA in the aquatic environment. The epidemiology of MRSA in wastewater discharge from low-middle and high -income countries was examined, with another dig at the public health significance of these organisms in the water environment. The concluding part dwells heavily on the management and control strategies from the authors’ perspective, and this includes the one-health approach and the enactment of Government policies to control the indiscriminate discharge of untreated wastewater from the healthcare settings into receiving water bodies.