Prolonged Use of Herbicides Increased the Resistance of Soil Aerobic Heterotrophic Bacteria and Fungi to Antibiotics

Increase in the use of herbicides in agricultural soil can cause multiple antibiotic resistance in potential pathogens that can undermine antibiotic therapy. The study shows the antimicrobial susceptibility of aerobic heterotrophic bacteria and fungi isolated from soils polluted with different herbicides. A total of sixteen (16) bacterial and twenty-three (23) fungal isolates from herbicides polluted soils were subjected to different antimicrobial sensitivity test (AST) using Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Both Gram positive and Gram-negative antibacterial agents were used for the sensitivity test of bacteria, and a four of antifungal agents were used for the sensitivity test of fungi. The result showed that resistance to antimicrobial agents were higher in soils polluted with herbicides especially where two different herbicides (paraquat and glyphosate) were combined compared to the control soil without history of herbicides usage.This work demonstrates that prolonged usage of herbicides increased the rate at which aerobic heterotrophic bacteria and fungi in soil acquire antibiotic resistance.