Detection of Pathogenic Bacteria in Water Bodies

Abstract

Water is one of the requirements for the existence of all living organisms. Although water is a critical necessity for life, it also poses a threat to human health and well-being because of its role in transmission and dissemination of infectious diseases. The problem of water pollution caused by the contamination of water sources with bacteria is one of the main factors contributing to the human health risk. The main aims of this paper is to detect the presence of pathogenic E.coli, Salmonella spp. and Shigella spp. in selected water bodies, including river, waterfall, pond and coastal. The highest E.coli, Salmonella spp. and Shigella spp. were detected in a pond in Perak with an average of 7.89x10³, 6.096x10³ and 3.876x10³ CFU/mL, respectively. However, the lowest concentrations of E.coli and Salmonella spp. were detected in a waterfall with mean of 2.5x10¹ and 1.233x10¹ CFU/mL, respectively. Surprisingly, no Shigella species was detected in the waterfall. The findings from this study indicated the occurrence of E.coli, Salmonella spp. and Shigella spp. in water environment that may pose a potential human health risk.