Pink Shrimp Chitosan: A Cutting-edge Sustainable and Low Cost Alternative against Clinical Multidrug Resistant Isolates

Abstract

Therapeutic failures and the ever-increasing costs of treating resistant bacterial infections are prompting a search for alternative treatments. The present study was initiated to evaluate the antibacterial activity of chitosan extracted from pink shrimp exoskeleton on multi-resistant bacteria strains collected in hospitals. The chitosan was extracted from pink shrimp collected at Douala using the chemical method and characterized using its degree of deacetylation and FTIR. Its antimicrobial activity was assessed by the agar diffusion method for qualitative evaluation, and by the liquid macro-dilution method for quantitative evaluation. 230 isolates were collected from hospitals, identified at the phenotypic level and their antibiotic sensibility profile was determined using the disc diffusion method. The antimicrobial activity of chitosan was tested on selected multiple-resistant antibiotic isolates using well diffusion and microdilution methods. The results showed a yield of 2 % of chitosan with a degree of deacetylation of 75 %. The IR spectrum obtained was superimposable on that of the standard. A total of 230 strains were identified and grouped into 19 bacterial genera. Ten isolates displayed the highest resistance profile to the tested antibiotics. Chitosan was active against these multiple antibiotic resistant isolates with inhibition diameter ranging from 9 to 30 mm. The MIC of chitosan was between 10 and 160µg/mL with Gram positive bacteria being more sensitive. Chitosan was bactericidal against 69 % of the total strains while Serratia macerans (6%) and Citrobacter freundii (1%) were the most resistant. This study demonstrates the antimicrobial activity of chitosan against clinical multiple antibiotic resistant isolates and suggests its potential use as a sustainable alternative against the growing burden of antimicrobial resistance.