ISOLATION OF COLIFORMS BACTERIA FROM SACHET WATER, UGBOWO, BENIN CITY

ABSTRACT

The aim of this research was to access the bacteriological qualities of sachet drinking water that is sold within and outside University of Benin, Ugbowo, Benin City, Nigeria. Five different sachet water samples were randomly purchased and analyzed. The water samples were obtained from different locations in Ugbowo, Benin City. They were analyzed for total heterotrophic bacteria counts using the membrane filtration technique. Pure cultures of the bacterial isolates were obtained from the subculture of a single colony from the successful pour plate technique and were characterized using cultural, morphological and biochemical methods. Several tests, such as Gram reaction, catalase, urease, indole, oxidase, citrate utilization and respective reactions of bacteria on triple sugar iron agar, were carried out to identify bacterial isolates presumptively. The identified colonies of bacteria were used to determine the susceptibility and resistance of bacterial isolates, which were subjected to standard antibacterial susceptibility testing (AST) to decipher their resistance or susceptibility to common antibiotics used for treatment within the locality. Results revealed that three out of the five water isolates have bacteria ranging from 1.20 -1.75log10cfu/ml. The findings of this study shed light on the microbiological quality and safety of sachet water, revealing the presence of enterobacteria, including Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, in some samples. This study underscores the importance of regular monitoring and regulation of sachet water quality to ensure its safety for consumption.