Enterotoxicigenicity profile of Escherichia coli, Vibrio, and Salmonella species isolated from well and river water sources in Oproama town in the Niger Delta, Nigeria

Abstract

Well water is the only source of drinking water in Oproama Town in Rivers state, Nigeria. Water from these sources is consumed without treatment, and potentially poses a health risk to the local population. The Enterotoxigenicity profile of Escherichia coli, Vibrio and Salmonella species isolated from well and river water sources in Oproama were investigated using fluid accumulation (FA) ratio. The study revealed that Salmonella isolate (S9) from the river showed doubtful toxicity out of the ten Escherichia coli, ten Vibrio and ten Salmonella isolates. This study revealed a near-absence of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, Vibrio and Salmonella organisms from the waters in Oproama. More studies are required to further test the overall safety of these water sources due to the potential risk of consuming untreated water.

KEYWORDS: Escherichia coli, Vibrio, Salmonella, Enterotoxigenicity