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Browsing Full paper by Subject "Bacterial pathogens"

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    PublicationOpen Access
    Diurnal and seasonal variations of pathogenic bacteria in Dandora Sewage Treatment Plant wastewater, Nairobi, Kenya
    (International Research Journals, 2013-02) Musyoki, Abednego M.; Suleiman, Mbaruk A.; Mbithi, John N.; Maingi, John M.
    Diurnal and seasonal variation of pathogenic bacteria diversity and loads at Dandora Sewage Treatment Plant (DSTP), and compliance of effluent with local and international statutory requirements was assessed. Standard bacteriological techniques were used to describe bacteria content from wastewater samples collected from influent and effluent sources. Diurnal variation of bacterial loads occurred only in the effluent (F ꞊ 22.788, p ꞊ 0.000) with lower counts in the afternoon. Seasonal variation was observed in both influent (F ꞊ 14.795, p ꞊ 0.001) and the effluent (F ꞊ 23.574, p = 0.000), with more pollution during the dry season. The effluent microbiological quality, irrespective of diurnal and seasonal changes, did not adhere to local and international statutory requirements for discharge into natural environment. The effluents were polluted with pathogens including; Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella aerogenes. The health risk posed to downstream users of DSTP effluent occurs notwithstanding the time of the day or season. The findings in this study suggest need for appropriate measures to monitor and control the microbiological quality of DSTP effluent and other similar facilities in sub-Saharan Africa, to ensure public health safety in line with the millennium Development Goals.
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    PublicationOpen Access
    Water-borne bacterial pathogens in surface waters of Nairobi River and health implication to communities downstream Athi River
    (Mount Kenya University, 2013-03) ABEDNEGO M. MUSYOKI, ABEDNEGO M.; SULEIMAN, MBARUK A.; MBITHI, JOHN N.; MAINGI, JOHN M.
    The quality of surface water in Nairobi River and the adjacent river Athi was assessed to ascertain whether it meets local and international microbiological standards for safe human consumption. Standard bacteriological techniques were used to describe bacteria content from water samples collected from the two confluent sources. The waters were highly contaminated with human pathogenic bacteria. The most dominant bacteria in combined waters of the two rivers was Escherichia coli (1.0 x 104 ± 2.6 x 103 / 100 mL) while the least was Shigella flexneri (1.2 x 101 ± 1.2 x 101 / 100 mL). Other bacteria were Klebsiella aerogenes (7.4 x 101 ± 1.8 x 101 / 100 mL), Enterococcus faecalis (3.6 x 103 ± 3.2 x 103 / 100 mL), Salmonella typhi (2.1 x 102 ± 1.3 x 102 / 100 mL), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (6.5 x 102 ± 1.1 x 102 / 100 mL), Salmonella paratyphi (1.6 x 101 ±1.1 x 101 / 100 mL), and Vibrio cholerae (5.6 x 102 ± 1.0 x 102 / 100 mL). Microbiological quality of the surface water was unacceptably high above compliance level of national standards, and the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for drinking water and agricultural use. The water from these rivers is not potable, and poses a health risk to communities that rely on the rivers as primary sources of domestic and subsistence irrigation use. These findings in water scarce region of the world underline the challenges a number of developing countries are facing currently and in long-term into the future. Lessons learnt in this study would suggest appropriate measures are necessary to control pollution of similar rivers in sub-Saharan regions in particular and developing countries in general to ensure availability of clean water supplies to large concentrated populations in cities within the Millennium Development Goals.