Abstract: Water is essential for all known life forms; water pollution and the destruction of ecosystems continue to increase. River waters pollution with dangerous microbes, including bacteria, viruses, parasites, as well as fungi, has been on steady increase in the recent past. The major source of microbes in water is faeces from human and other mammals. The study aimed at determining water borne enteric pathogens in the water of Thiba River and its tributaries and health implications to the users downstream. The samples were collected from Thiba River, which is located in Kirinyaga County. A cross sectional sampling design was used in this study. Isolation of bacteria was done on various types of media. Characterization and identification of the isolates was performed by morphological and biochemical methods. The enumeration of enteric bacteria revealed that the number of faecal coliform (E. coli) in water was higher than standard set by World Health Organization (WHO). The number of faecal coliform (E. coli) was varying in different seasons and at different stages of the river. The health impact of that unsafe drinking water could be the prevalence of waterborne diarrhoeal diseases in the population. A moderate correlation was observed between the Densities of faecal coliform and diarrhoeal cases in the area under study. Such water with a high number of total and faecal coliform could be the potential sources of waterborne bacterial pathogens. As it is evident from the study, 8 bacteria genera were isolated and identified as follows; Escherichia, Salmonella, Klebsiella, Proteus, Enterobacter, Erwinia, Serratia, Citrobacter and Vibrio. The frequency of isolation of the organisms identified varied as follows; E. coli (38%), Salmonella (19%), Klebsiella (9%), Proteus (9%), Enterobacter (7%), Erwinia (6%), Serratia (4%), Shigella (4%), Citrobacter (3%) and Vibrio (1%). The study has demonstrated that Thiba river harbour diverse potentially pathogenic bacteria species. Seventy isolates were obtained, characterized and identified. Thiba River is contaminated with human and animal waste, the contamination is more in the midstream and downstream where human activities are most active. There is contamination of Thiba River during the rainy season and this happens more at the mid and downstream. The results demonstrate the presence of contaminants in the environment and exposure to potential disease causing agents. Emphasis thus needs to be put into the application of proper hygienic practices to reduce the risk of infection especially from food handlers. Efforts by the Kirinyaga county government to avail sanitation facilities in the slum and villages that use the water from Thiba River will prevent contamination of the river by both human and animal waste.
Keywords: Water pollution, Coliforms, Enteric pathogens, Thiba river.
Title: Morphological Characterization of Enteric Pathogens in Thiba River of Kirinyaga County, Kenya
Author: Emily Wambui Muriuki, Stanley Kang`ethe, Jonathan Mwangi, Mbaruk Suleiman
International Journal of Life Sciences Research
ISSN 2348-313X (Print), ISSN 2348-3148 (online)
Research Publish Journals
