Microbiological assessment of amoxicillin and co-tromoxazole available in five regions along the borders of Tanzania.

Back ground Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major obstacle to the treatment of infectious diseases worldwide. The global human burden posed by drug-resistant infections is difficult to quantify, but we have reason to fear that it may be enormous. AMR is prevalent in a wide array of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, protozoa and fungi. For example, there is wide-spread resistance to earlier generation antimalarial drugs in most developing countries like Tanzania, and resistance to co-trimoxazole and amoxicillin is of growing concern. In the case of tuberculosis, multi-drug resistant and even extensively drug resistant bacterial strains have emerged, with high mortality rates. Faced with the extent of AMR, and the dwindling number of effective antimicrobials, the World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that it considers AMR to be one of the greatest threats to human health and focused its 2011 World Health Day on antimicrobial resistance and its global spread (Dr. Maria Siomos; 2007-2010) OBJECTIVES Broad objectives Microbiological analysis of amoxicillin and co trimoxazole available in three regions along the borders of Tanzania Specific objectives Collections of amoxicillin and co-trimoxazole from drugs outlets pharmacies from Arusha/Moshi, Mbeya and Mwanza. Assess antibacterial effect of amoxicillin and, co- trimoxazole on reference strains of bacteria using disc diffusion methods. Compare antibacterial effect of collected antibiotics against standard antibiotic disc. Determine the prevalence rate of ineffective antibacterial agents available in the market in the regions Methods Sampling procedure; Cluster sampling (probability) technique was employed. Concentrations of co-trimoxazole and amoxicillin were adjusted to that of control antibiotics (sensitivity antibiotic discs). The antibacterial effects of the antibiotics were assayed on the reference strains of bacteria using disc diffusion method. The diameter of inhibition zones (IZ) were compared with that of standard antibiotic discs. Prevalence rates of ineffective antibacterial agents encountered in the market were determined basing on the number of defective batches and/or of manufacturers whose drugs failed to attain the expected antibacterial effects Statistical analysis; Data obtained were analyzed by using SPSS version 17.0 computer package for analysis of variance for means of inhibition zones and One- sample t-test to compare the level of significant differences among the manufacturers and between the test antibiotics and the standard control. The differences of IZ among the batches and/manufacturers products were considered significant if p