Bacterial contamination of water sources for domestic use in JOS and environs

Delmwa Florence Jurbe 1, *, Emmanuel Isa Bigwan 1, Grace Mebi Ayanbimpe 2, Victoria Kaneng Davou 3, Nanna Luka Abashi 4, Helen Hoomsuk Raplong 5 and Emmanuel John Fyaktu 6

1 Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Health Sciences and Technology, University of Jos, Nigeria.
2 Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, University of Jos, Nigeria, Nigeria.
3 Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Jos, Nigeria.
4 Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Health Services, University of Jos, Nigeria.
5 Department of Veterinary Laboratory Technology, School of Science and Information Technology, Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, NVRI, Vom, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria.
6 Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, University of Jos, Nigeria.
 
Research Article
World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2023, 19(01), 375–385
Article DOI10.30574/wjarr.2023.19.1.1019
 
Publication history: 
Received on 21 April 2023; revised on 01 July 2023; accepted on 04 July 2023
 
Abstract: 
Purpose:  The purpose of the study was to assess and examine water bodies in Jos, Plateau State for bacterial contamination.
Methods: A total of ninety four (90) water samples were collected aseptically from different sources (stream, well, borehole, tap, dam, storage tanks and water vendors) from different locations and investigated for their bacterial contaminants using the Most Probable Number Technique (MPN). Structured questionnaires were used to obtain information on the location, depth, sanitary condition and closeness of the water sources to septic tanks. The bacterial isolates present in the water samples were identified based on their morphology and biochemical characteristics. Total bacterial count was determined using the pour plate technique and total coliform count was by the Most Probable Number (MPN) method.
Results: From the T-Test result of the mean coliform count of all the seven different water sources investigated, storage tanks (ST) were found to be the least contaminated followed by Tap water (TW) while stream (STR) water had the highest rate of contamination with MPN index of 300/100 ml. However, borehole water 6 (BW6) was the least contaminated among all the samples collected with MPN index of 7/10 ml. The MPN index range from 7/100 ml to 300/100 ml in BH6 and STR7 respectively while the Total viable count ranged from 1.0 × 102 to 3.3 × 103.  A total of seven different isolates were characterized and identified as Pseudomonas aeroginosa, Klebsiella pneumonia, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Proteus vulgaris, Staphylococcus aureus and Proteus mirabilis. The results obtained were analysed using SPSS Version 21.
Conclusion: This study reveals that all the different water samples collected and investigated were contaminated with bacteria.
 
Keywords: 
Bacteria; Contamination; Water; Sources; Domestic purpose
 
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