Isolation and identification of microorganisms from water samples in rivers state university of science and technology tanks

Abstract

Safe drinking water is vital for the survival of humans and other living organisms that depend on it, but when pathogens are present, it limits the use of the water. The microorganisms present in Rivers State University of Science and Technology hostels water tanks were isolated and identified; and the effects of the microbes were determined. Six (6) water samples gotten from different tanks were analysed for their microbiological quality for a period of three (3) weeks. Fungal colonies were isolated using the wet mount technique on commercially prepared Potato dextrose agar (PDA), the multiple tube fermentation technique with MacConkey broth and Nutrient agar were used as media for the isolation and identification of the bacterial colonies. From the analysis, the bacterial count was higher than the fungal count. This indicates faecal contamination ranging between 5 x 100 to 2.6 x 101 coliform (MPN) per 100ml. Also, the total heterotrophic bacterial count ranged from 4.05 x 106 to 1.14 x 107 with the fungal count being the lowest by having 7.0 x 104 to 1.8 x 105. The microorganisms isolated from the water tank samples were Aspergillus species, Penicillium species, Rhizopus species, Mucor species, Escherichia species, Enterobacter species, Bacillus species, Pseudomonas species and Klebsiella species. Klebsiella species which are high across all samples have been known to cause destructive pneumonia. The occurrence of these pathogenic bacteria in drinking water may increase the risks of water-related diseases and health problems to the susceptible residents