Antibiotic Sensitivity Patterns and Plasmid Profile of Bacteria Isolated from Some Swimming Pools in Akure, Nigeria

Aims: To evaluate the antibiotic sensitivity profile of bacteria isolated from swimming pools in Akure, Nigeria.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Microbiology, The Federal University of Technology, Akure Ondo state Nigeria between May and July, 2018.

Methodology: Water samples were collected in the morning and evening periods including weekends, from ten (10) swimming pools in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria. The temperature and the pH of the water samples were measured and recorded at the time of collection. The types and loads of bacteria at different times of each day were determined for each of the swimming pools. Characterization and Identification of the various bacterial isolates were based on Gram-staining techniques and biochemical tests. Antibacterial susceptibility profile of the isolates was evaluated using standard methods. Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus being resistant to multiple antibiotics were subjected to plasmid analysis.

Results: Bacteria isolated include; E. coli which had the highest occurrence rate (25%), S. aureus (18.75%), Shigella flexneri (14.50%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (14.50%), Proteus mirabilis (9.37%), Citrobacter freundii (6.25%) Pseudomonas aeruginosa (6.25%) Enterobacter faecalis (3.13%) and Salmonella bongori (3.13%). Ciprofloxacin, pefloxacin and tarivid recorded remarkable zones of inhibition against the isolates. The isolates were notably resistant towards chloramphenicol and septrin. The isolates were further examined for the presence of conjugative plasmids. The results showed that their resistance was chromosomal mediated.

Conclusion: Despite the fact that these pools meet the World Health Organization minimum requirement, Microbiological examination of the swimming pools revealed that most of them are contaminated with various pathogenic microorganisms which are potentially harmful.