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Studies on microbial quality of filtered water in households of a university community in Nigeria

1986; Cambridge University Press; Volume: 96; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1017/s0022172400066018

2396-8184

D. A. Alabi, Abiodun A. Adesiyun,

Fecal contamination and water quality

SUMMARY Water samples from home filters in nine residential areas of a Nigerian university community were studied. The membrane filter technique was used to determine the total coliform and faecal coliform counts/100 ml of water. Most of the 100 samples studied were grossly contaminated with total coliform counts/100 ml ranging from 0–442, faecal coliform counts/100 ml, 0–216 and the total aerobic plate count per millilitre ranged from 3·0 × 10 3 to 1·9 × 10 9 c.f.u. The source (dams) of water, fitness of filter candles, frequency of cleaning candles and pH of water did not significantly ( P > 0·05; X 2 ) affect the microbial quality of either filtered boiled or unboiled tap water. Escherichia coli type I was isolated from 17·9% of the faccal coliforms tested but from only 2·3% of total coliforms. Enterobacter aerogenes was most predominant (38·5%) amongst faecal coliforms isolated while Enterobacter cloacae was the most frequent (37·2%) of the total coliform isolates. The gross contamination of filltered water from all households sampled calls fpr am englightenment of residents on the proper use of home water filters.