Jurnal Kimia Valensi, Vol 8(1), May 2022, 42-53 Available online at Website: http://journal.uinjkt.ac.id/index.php/valensi Copyright©2022, Published by Jurnal Kimia Valensi P-ISSN: 2460-6065, E-ISSN: 2548-3013 A Snapshot of Antibiotic Resistances in Air Particulate of a Provincial Capital City, Indonesia Sulfikar Sulfikar 1 *, Gotot Junarto 2 , Muhammad Ardhias Syam 2,3 , Andi Zulfikar Efendy 4 , Mohamad Sahrir 1 , Hilda Ningsih 1 1 Chemistry Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Universitas Negeri Makassar Jl. Mallengkeri Raya, Parangtambung, Makassar, Indonesia 90224 2 CV Intrabumi Masagena, BTN Maccopa Indah Kab. Maros, Indonesia 3 Balai Besar Industri dan Hasil Perkebunan Makassar, Indonesia, 90231 4 Dinas Lingkungan Hidup Bone, Macanang, Kabupaten Bone, Indonesia 92711 *Corresponding author: s_hanafi@yahoo.com Received: January 2022; Revision: February 2022; Accepted: March 2022; Available online: May 2022 Abstract Bacteria may become resistant to antibiotics due to gene mutation or adopting resistance genes from other bacteria via horizontal gene transfer. The existence of toxic substances to bacteria, such as antibiotics, biocides, and heavy metals, may influence the pathway into the genome. This study aimed to detect the presence of antibiotic-resistance bacteria in air particulates in Makassar - a provincial capital located in Indonesia with a low to moderate air quality index (AQI). We determined the correlations between antibiotic resistance (resistance rate, RR) and the heavy-metal concentrations in the air particulates. Air particulate samples were taken from seven locations in the summer (Dry Season: July - August 2019). We analyzed the concentration of As, Cu, and Zn of the air particulates and determined RR from presumptive Escherichia coli (E. coli) isolated from the air particulates. We estimated the RR towards five antibiotics with different mechanisms of action: amoxicillin- clavulanate, chloramphenicol, amikacin, norfloxacin, and trimethoprim. The concentrations of the heavy metals were relatively low, ranging from (μg/Nm3) 0.001 – 0.009 for As, 0.001 – 0.003 for Cu, and 0.007 to 0.783 for Zn. We observed different antibiotic resistance at various locations, ranging from 25% to 100% RR. While there were indications of possible antibiotic resistance patterns in the different areas sampled, the power of this perspective snapshot was insufficient to make statistically valid generalizations. Keywords: Air particulate, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, heavy metal, percent resistance. DOI: 10.15408/jkv.v8i1.24559 1. INTRODUCTION Antibiotic resistance in bacteria has become a problem in the health sector because it causes an increase in treatment costs and mortality rates. Moreover, it is increasingly widespread in various parts of the world (WHO Fact Sheet, 2021). The lack of government regulations regarding the use of antibiotics, the misuse of antibiotics in agriculture and fisheries, and the over-the- counter sale of antibiotics are known to be the leading causes of the emergence of super- bacteria, such as MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus), KPC (Klebsiella pneumonia carbapenemase), and NDM (New- Delhi Metallo beta-lactamase) (Klein et al., 2021; Ventola, 2015). Because of the severity of the consequences caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria, The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated antimicrobial resistance as one of the top 10 global public health priorities. WHO also classifies antibiotics into three categories to control the misuse of antibiotics: Access, Watch, and Reserve, where Access are antibiotics for first-line therapies