Public Health Impact and Antibiotic Resistance Patterns of Bacteria Species Isolated from Drinking Water Sources in Ezza South Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, Nigeria

Abstract

Water is a crucial necessity in public health, and the presence of healthy water directly impacts the overall quality of life, as it is an essential element for survival. The aim of this study was to assess the public health impact and antibiotic resistance patterns of bacterial species isolated from drinking water sources in Ezza South Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, Nigeria. A total of thirty (30) drinking water samples from three (3) water sources namely: stream, river and well were randomly collected between the months of April and August 2024. Samples were bacteriological analyzed using standard analytical procedures while antibiotic susceptibility of the isolates was done using the disc diffusion method and interpreted according to the guidelines of Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute. Drinking water sources from different communities in Ezza south L.G.A revealed that water samples collected from streams, rivers and wells had an average total bacterial count (TBC) of 8.10-4, 7.10-4 and 6.10-4 respectively. There was a significant difference (p <0.05) in the bacteria load levels of water samples from all the study locations during the study period. All the values for total bacteria counts were higher than WHO standard of zero per 100 ml. Escherichia coli had highest isolate 77%; while Klebsiella and salmonella species had 28% and 23% respectively. The antibiotic investigations demonstrated that Escherichia coli, Salmonella species and Klebisellaspecies isolated were highly resistant to more about 75 % of some common antibiotics tested in this study which include Imipenem, azithromycin, norfloxacin and streptomycin. The isolates were also found to be about 70% susceptible to ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, ofloxacin, vancomycin, penicillin and tetracycline. Nevertheless, the significant presence of enteric bacteria and their high resistance value observed in this study strongly suggests that the samples were contaminated with faecal matter due to inadequate hygiene and sanitation practices in the respective locations. We therefore, recommend a comprehensive epidemiological study in all Ebonyi State to determine the number of people suffering from diseases or illnesses related to the microbial water quality problems identified in this study.