Lizette Propose
Lizette Propose
Lizette Propose
1.1 INTRODUCTION
Ground water from wells, remains a major source of water for various uses in South West
Region. Water is an important source that is prone to bacteria contamination from a variety
of host including Mammals and other species. The rapid expansion of Buea City has led to
residents relying on ground water to supply them with portable water. Drinking water
comes from ground water. Ground water is carried from wells that are drilled into aquifers.
However, poor sanitation in Buea makes the availability of safe water almost unattainable,
this is due to bacteria and chemical contamination. Water-borne diseases are one of the
major Public health problem in Buea.In Buea , most people have no safe drinking water,
while some also have no adequate sanitation. This lead to water-borne, related diseases (
e.g. Cholera, Typhoid, Malaria, Yellow fever, sleeping sickness, Diarrhea). Buea experience
water shortage.
Hand-dug wells are dug near toilets and Septic pits which lead to Outbreak of Cholera and
dysentery occur during raining seasons and short after the rains. Exchange of microbes
between wells and toilet or septic Pits. However, ground water forms an important source
of water for Buea and it’s environs.
This study intends to Isolate Escherichia coli pathogens and possible factors associated
with well water contamination in Buea and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing.
Escherichia coli are widely distributed in the gastro-intestine tract of humans and other
organisms, where they are known to live as commensals. They are gram negative
facultative anaerobic bacteria. They are also from the family Enterobacteriacea and are
lactose fermenters.
Escherichia coli have been isolated from water and environmental samples some of which
have been responsible for illnesses ( Cholera, Typhoid).
• Adhesion
• Toxins
• Polysaccharide capsules
• Invasin
Which are usually encoded on plasmid.
✓ Age: young children and other adults are at high risk of experiencing illness caused
by E.coli and more serious complications from the infection
✓ Drinking certain types of water that contain E.coli and other bacteria.
• Diagnosis
-Stool sample collected and tested in the laboratory for the presence of
E.coli bacteria.
-Bacteria maybe cultured to confirm the diagnosis and identify specific
toxins such as those that are produced by E.col.
• Treatment
Treatment includes ;
✓ IV fluids
✓ Blood transfusion
✓ Kidney dialysis
• Prevention
➢ Always wash your hands
➢ Be careful when dealing with water and animals
➢ Avoid unpasteurized beverages
• Control
➢ Do not drink untreated water
➢ Practice good sanitation
➢ Environmental control
❖ Materials
• Petri-dishes
• MacConkey agar
• Test-tubes
• Antibiotics ( Ciprofloxacin, Ceftriaxone, Chloramphenicol)
• Well water
• Alcohol
• Bunsen burner
• Distilled water
• Measuring cylinder
• Tissues
• Syringe
• Stirring rod
• Microscope
• Autoclave
❖ Methods
• Sample collection
✓ Water sample (200ml) were collected from the wells ( 10 wells) using
sterile water collection labeled bottles .
✓ For water that had been treated with Chlorine, 5% sodium thiosulfate was
added to the sterile bottles to neutralize the Chlorine.
✓ The bottles were placed in a cool box and transported to the laboratory
for processing.
✓ At the site of collection, a questionnaire was administered to assess and
determine the risk factors.
3.2 Timeline
This Research will be carryout within the space of three Months.
3.5References
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Nigeria:impactofseptictanksdistancestowel.MalayasJMicrobiol2011,7(3):15916
6
➢ Ati,N.;Masulli,M.;Alexeyev,M.F.;DiIlio,C.EscherichiacoliinEurope:AnOverview.Int.
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Rahn, K., Re