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Significance and suitability of Aeromonas hydrophila vs. fecal coliforms in assessing microbiological water quality

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Abstract

We examined the significance and suitability of Aeromonas hydrophila versus fecal coliforms in assessing microbiological water quality. For this, we used the membrane filtration method to simultaneously estimate the abundance level of A. hydrophila and fecal coliforms in waters from the Mfoundi river watershed at Yaoundé, and compared how fluctuations in A. hydrophila abundance matched those observed with fecal coliforms index as an indicator of water quality in the system under study. Our results revealed that waters were not safe according to the standards for water quality established by the Word Health Organization (WHO). They also indicated the prevalence of A. hydrophila as compared to fecal coliforms, and suggested that water from the Mfoundi River and its tributaries could be classified as hypereutrophic based on the density of Aeromonas. Moreover, the spatial distribution of fecal coliforms and A. hydrophila exhibited similar trends within the different water bodies investigated, suggesting that A. hydrophila can be used as indicator of water quality in highly polluted waters. We concluded that waters from the Mfoundi River watershed at Yaoundé represent a great potential risk of infection for users, and foresee that the next challenge will be to determine, among other factors, the physico-chemical factors influencing the observed spatial distribution.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge logistical support provided by Drs L. Polla and S. Foto, and would also like to thank Dr. D. Juck for critical reading of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Sciences, University of Douala, P.O. Box 24157, Douala, Cameroon

    E. Djuikom

  2. Laboratory of General Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, B.P. 812, Yaounde, Cameroon

    T. Njiné, M. Nola, N. Kemka & S. H. Zébazé Togouet

  3. Biotechnology Research Institute, National Research Council of Canada, 6100 Royalmount Avenue, Montreal, QC, Canada, H4P 2R2

    Louis-B. Jugnia

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  1. E. Djuikom
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  2. T. Njiné
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  3. M. Nola
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  4. N. Kemka
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  5. S. H. Zébazé Togouet
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  6. Louis-B. Jugnia
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Correspondence to E. Djuikom.

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Djuikom, E., Njiné, T., Nola, M. et al. Significance and suitability of Aeromonas hydrophila vs. fecal coliforms in assessing microbiological water quality. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 24, 2665–2670 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-008-9793-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-008-9793-4

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