Browsing by Author "Odonkor, S.T."
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Item Coliform analysis for tracking bacteriological contamination pathways in Rural water sources(Asian Journal of Microbiology, Biotechnology and Environmental Sciences, 2018) Odonkor, S.T.; Addo, K.K.Water is life assess to safe water is essential for human development. Water related diseases such as infectious diarrhoea, microbial dysentery and cholera occur as a result of microbial contamination. The aim of this study was to evaluate the total and faecal coliform status of the drinking water sources in the Dangme West District of Ghana and to determine the contamination pathways, aimed at identifying appropriate intervention methods to reduce peril of potential infections. A total of four hundred and sixtyfour (464) water samples were collected for the study. The sampling period spanned one year across two seasons in Ghana: the dry and rainy seasons. The results obtained indicated that all the water sources were of poor quality in terms of microbial distributions with total coliform and faecal coliform counts ranging between 0 to 2.4x103 MPN/100 mL. Disease risk assessment of the various waters sources indicated that dam water sources presented with a high disease risk, while borehole water sources had a low disease risk. The bacteria contamination was highest in the dry season P <0.05 than in the rainy season. In a nutshell, to reduce the level of bacterial contamination of drinking water sources there should be an incessant education on issues such as: environmental awareness, cultivation of sanitation habits to ensure that surroundings and water sources are not indiscriminately polluted.Item Prevalence of Multidrug-Resistant Escherichia coli Isolated from Drinking Water Sources(International Journal of Microbiology, 2018-08) Odonkor, S.T.; Addo, K.K.The control of infectious diseases is badly endangered by the rise in the number of microorganisms that are resistant to antimicrobial agents. This is because infections caused by resistant microorganisms often fail to respond to conventional treatment, resulting in prolonged illness and greater risk of death. Antimicrobial-resistant bacteria are also present in various water sources. This study therefore sought to document the microbiological quality and antibiograms of bacterial isolates (E. coli strains) from six different water sources in order to determine their safety for human consumption and to provide updated antibiotic data for pragmatic treatment of patients. Bacteria isolation and identification was done using API and conventional methods. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was conducted using the Kirby–Bauer method. Results obtained indicated that all the water sources tested were of poor quality. Bacteria isolated included E. coli, Enterobacter spp., Klebsiella spp., Salmonella typhi, Streptococcus spp., Proteus vulgaris, Vibrio cholera, Shigella spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterococcus faecalis. The prevalence of multidrug-resistant E. coli was 49.48%. E. coli isolates showed high resistance patterns to the tested antibiotics. They were most resistant to penicillin (32.99%), cefuroxime (28.87%), erythromycin (23.71%), and tetracycline (21.45%). In contrast, they were susceptible to nitrofurantoin (93.8%), cefotaxime and amikacin (91.75%), gentamicin (90.7%), nalidixic acid (89.65%), ciprofloxacin (74.2%), chloramphenicol (69.07%), pipemidic acid (65.97%), and cefuroxime (52.58%). Sixty-three percent (63%) of the multidrug-resistant E. coli strains recorded a multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index value >0.2. The susceptible antibiotics, especially the nitrofurantoin, are hence recommended in the practical treatment of waterborne bacterial diseases.