Bacterial indicators to estimate the health hazards associated with the use of swimming pools

Abstract

A total of 200 swimming pools, including one wading pool, were monitored for specific bacteria to select the most appropriate water quality indicators for a proposed prospective epidemiological survey of swimming pools. The organisms included in the study were fecal coliforms, fecal streptococci, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Acinetobacter spp., and total plate counts of aerobic heterotrophic bacteria. The results indicated that fecal coliforms, fecal streptococci, and Acinetobacter spp. have limited use as water quality parameters because of their naturally low densities in pools. Total plate counts, P. aeruginosa, and S. aureus appeared to be the indicators of choice because they were either present in large numbers, were opportunistic pathogens, or had a varied susceptibility to chlorine. The study showed that P. aeruginosa has an added advantage as an indicator because it can be typed using serological and genotyping methods.

Enumeration of coliform bacteria and characterization of Escherichia coli isolated from Staff Club swimming pool in Ile-Ife, Nigeria

“…Nevertheless, studies have repeatedly shown that even ‘true faecal indicators’ are unlikely to correlate with pathogen densities in water at low pollution levels (Payment & Locas 2011). Additionally, densities of faecal coliforms and faecal streptococci in pool waters are usually low, making them unsuitable indicators (Seyfried 1989). But total coliforms are present in sufficient densities, sensitive to chlorination and therefore reliable for assessing the efficiency of sanitary processes such as the disinfection of swimming pool waters (Ashbolt et al 2001; Nikaeen et al 2009).…”