Quality of Drinking Water Points in Ntui (Centre Region, Cameroon) Based on the Abundance Dynamics of Bacteria of the Genus Aeromonas

Abstract

A study to assess the microbiological quality of drinking water in the town of Ntui was carried out from February to July 2022. The microbiological quality was assessed by monitoring the abundance dynamics of bacteria of the genus Aeromonas isolated from surface and ground water. Samples were taken from ten water points. The parameters considered were physicochemical and bacteriological. The samples were taken and analysed using standard methods. These include temperature and pH. Bacteriologically, Heterotrophic Aerobic Mesophilic Bacteria (HAMB) and bacteria of the genus Aeromonas were isolated on Plate Count Agar and Ampicillin Dextrin Agar culture media using surface spreading techniques respectively. The data obtained was analysed using appropriate software. The results show that certain physico-chemical parameters such as temperature vary relatively little from one sampling point to another, remaining at around 23.14±2.69°C. There was also a slightly acidic average pH of 6.87 U.C. This acidity is a consequence of the nature of the soils leached by the water. Microbiologically, an average density of 215 CFU/100 ml was recorded for the HAMB. A total of 06 species of opportunistic Aeromonas pathogenic to humans were isolated during the study. These were A. hydrophila, A. salmonicida, A. schubertii, A. jandaei, A. média and A. veronii biovar veronii, with variable mean densities of up to 22 CFU/100ml. The most abundant species was A. veronii biovar veronii (22 CFU/100ml). In short, the presence of these Aeromonas makes the water unfit for human consumption without prior treatment.