Survival of Bacterial Pathogen Isolated from Urine in Surface Water in Sebou River Estuary (Morocco)

Abstract

Hospital effluents are one of the main sources of contamination of groundwater and rivers if they are collected by urban networks and sent to wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), without prior treatment. These effluents are potential vectors of resistant pathogenic bacteria and could contribute to the spread of these strains in the environ-ment. The Sebou River is used as a receptacle for domestic water treatment from the city of Kenitra. The main of the study is to analyze the effect of pH (8.2, 7.5, and 6.5) at a temperature of 22°C on the behavior of three pathogenic bacteria isolated from urine in filtered and sterilized water Sebou River. The water of Sebou River was inoculated with the three bacterial strains tested by a concentration that varied from 106–108 CFU/mL, then incu-bated for 30 days. The results of the obtained analyses showed that the pH affects the survival of the tested bacterial strains. For some strains, the alkaline pH at 22°C is a beneficial effect that prolongs survival. The main finding from the study was that the three strains of Escherichia coli at a pH of 8.2 have a better survival that reaches the 7th day and then declines. On the other hand, with a strain of Klebsiella pneumoni and Staphylococcus aureus at pH 7.5, the action effects are harmful; it limits survival to 72 hours and causes a rapid decrease in the number of bacteria. We have shown in our experiments that bacteria survive much better at low temperatures and basic pH.