Prevalence of Bacterial Contamination with Antibiotic Resistant and Enterotoxigenic Fecal Coliforms in Treated Drinking Water

Pollution indicator bacteria such as coliforms, fecal coliforms, and fecal streptococci were enumerated using a multiple-tube fermentation method in 100 treated drinking-water samples from 20 locations in residential, commercial, and industrial areas of a tropical city during summer. Thirty four per...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A Part A, 2008-01, Vol.71 (7), p.427-433
Main Authors: Pathak, S. P., Gopal, K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antibiotic resistance
Citrobacter
Colony Count, Microbial
Decontamination - methods
Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli - drug effects
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli - isolation & purification
Environmental Monitoring
Fresh Water - microbiology
Humans
India
Water Microbiology
Water Pollution - analysis
Water Pollution - prevention & control
Water Supply - analysis
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Summary:Pollution indicator bacteria such as coliforms, fecal coliforms, and fecal streptococci were enumerated using a multiple-tube fermentation method in 100 treated drinking-water samples from 20 locations in residential, commercial, and industrial areas of a tropical city during summer. Thirty four percent of the samples were bacteriologically nonpotable. Maximum coliform contaminated (27%) samples were derived from industrial areas, while samples contaminated with fecal coliform (23%) and fecal streptococci (20%) originated from commercial areas. Coliforms identified as Escherichia coli, Klebsiella sp., Enterobacter sp., and Citrobacter sp. were present in 29%, 26%, 24%, and 15% of samples, respectively. Fecal coliforms were examined for antibiotic susceptibility with disc diffusion method. All test isolates exhibited multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) for kanamycin, nalidixic acid, tetracycline, and trimethoprim. Escherichia coli isolates were examined for enterotoxigenicity using the suckling mice bioassay and 60% of the isolates displayed enterotoxigenicity. Data indicate that drinking water contaminated with antibiotic-resistant enterotoxigenic fecal bacteria may be responsible for presence of waterborne diarrheal diseases attributed to therapeutic agents used by urban populations in the tropics.
ISSN:1528-7394
1087-2620
2381-3504
DOI:10.1080/15287390701838796