Журнал бактериологии и паразитологии

Абстрактный

Prevalence and molecular characterization of E. coli O157:H7 isolated from water bodies in Ile-Ife and environs

Christina Duna Fashina, Gbolahan Ola Babalola and Michael Omofowa Osunde

Water is one of the most important needs of humans as it is required for almost all human activities. With increasing population, the quality of water required for human consumption is declining due to environmental pollution. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 in water bodies in Ile-Ife and its environs which are sources of water for human consumption. Four hundred and fifty-one samples from five main water sources namely well, stream, borehole, bottled and packaged were examined. The water samples were tested for the presence of E. coli and serologically characterized for the presence of E. coli O157:H7. The obtained E. coli O157:H7 isolates were further characterized for the presence of stx 1, stx 2 and eaeA genes. The result showed that the prevalence of well and stream water was 8.74% and 4.59% respectively. The antibiotic resistance profile of the E. coli isolates showed that both sources contained isolates resistant to three classes of antibiotics. The distribution of virulence genes showed that stx 1 and stx 2 were present in all E. coli O157:H7 tested. In conclusion, the gastroenteritis outbreaks that occurred in the study area may be caused by the presence of E. coli O157:H7 in the water samples.