Detection of pathogenic Escherichia coli strains in groundwater in the Yaoundé region (Cameroon, Central Africa)

Abstract

This study was aimed at assessing the prevalence of pathogenic Escherichia coli strains, relative to the total count of E. coli, faecal coliforms and other heterotrophic mesophilic aerobic bacteria (HMAB) isolated in groundwater in the equatorial region of Cameroon (Central Africa). Bacteria were isolated using standard methods. Pathogenic E. coli strains were then identified using haemagglutination and antisera tests. The maximum abundance of HMAB, faecal coliforms and E. coli strains were 4.9 × 106, 5.6 × 103 and 1 × 103 colony‐forming units (CFU)/100 mL, respectively. The count of pathogenic E. coli strains reached 3 CFU/100 mL. The counts of commensal and pathogenic E. coli strains underwent temporal and spatial fluctuations. In 21% of sampling sites, the abundance of faecal coliforms was significantly correlated to that of E. coli (P < 0.05). However, the isolated bacterial count was not significantly correlated to that of the pathogenic E. coli strains (P > 0.05). The bacteria abundance dynamics may be impacted by many interacting factors.

Evaluation of Water Quality from Suburban Shallow Wells Under Tropical Conditions According to the Seasonal Variation, Bumbu, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

“…The highest value was observed in November and the lowest during June/July. These results are comparable with other published data obtained under tropical conditions (Pritchard et al 2008;Nola et al 2013). The pH values varied significantly according to the seasonal variation (p \ 0.05) for some wells such as P1 (5.4-6.6), P3 (5.4-6.2) and P4 (4.9-6.8).…”

“…These results indicate that water samples from tested shallow wells are heavily polluted in FIB. The contamination of wells in FIB can be attributed by several sources and mechanisms, including urban runoff, percolation from surface water, the absence of toilet facilities, septic systems' leaky sewer lines, direct injection of wastewater effluent and direct contamination by users (John and Rose 2005;Kelly et al 2009;Nwachukwu et al 2010;Nola et al 2013). In our studied site, the deterioration of the quality of water from wells can probably explained by several aspects including the lack of adequate sanitation, protection of wells (there are many open wells), the presence of pit latrines located in the proximity of wells, open defecation and uncontrolled landfills (Fig.…”

A Seasonal Change in Physicochemical, Bacteriological Parameters and Macroinvertebrate Assemblage Structure and Composition in Mikeno Sector, Eastern DRC

“…The previous study carried out by other authors in the city of Kinshasa and Kikwit demonstrated that the monthly average temperature varied from 25.0 to 26.8 °C in the dry season and from 26.5 to 30.7 °C during the wet season(Kapembo et al, 2016;Nienie et al, 2017). These results are comparable with other published data obtained in similar sites under tropical conditions(Nola et al, 2013). The values recorded during the two seasons are between the WHO standards for drinking water(WHO, 2004).pH is an important operational water quality parameter.…”

Muddying the Waters: A New Area of Concern for Drinking Water Contamination in Cameroon

“…Previous studies have mostly focused on well water quality [ 15 , 16 ], quality of ground and surface waters [ 17 ], general associations between access to drinking water and diarrhoeal illness [ 18 ], or the management of household drinking water treatment [ 19 ]. Despite the fact that Maroua is a rapidly growing urban centre [ 20 ] of great importance to the greater Chad Basin region, the majority of drinking water and gastrointestinal health studies carried out to date have been in the more southern regions of the country [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 21 , 22 , 23 ]. To the best of our knowledge, this was the first study to investigate the associations between diarrhoeal disease and the drinking water quality within the formal and informal drinking water delivery system in addition to canaries within the city of Maroua.…”