ABSTRACT
Aims: Reliance on unhealthy water sources such as hand dug wells and streams have led to the occurrence of waterborne diseases such as amoebic dysentery, gastroenteritis, typhoid fever and cholera among several communities in Rivers State. This study tends to identify selected multidrug resistant pathogens isolated from streams and wells water sources in three Local Government Areas of Rivers State using molecular techniques. Methodology: A total of 48 well and stream water samples were collected aseptically from 24 sampling sites in Ikwerre, Emohua and Etche Local Government Areas of Rivers State. Samples were analysed using membrane filtration technique for total heterotrophic bacterial count and total coliform count. The well and stream water samples were also cultured for E. coli, Salmonella and Vibrio sp. Antibiotic sensitivity test of the isolates was carried out using the disk diffusion method and multidrug resistant isolates were identified using PCR-based techniques (16S rRNA). Results: The results of this study showed that total aerobic heterotrophic bacteria count occurred more in Emohua LGA for both well and stream water sources with bacterial count of 1.71 x104 cfu/ml for well water samples and 2.35 x 104 cfu/ml for stream water samples. The mean fungal count of the stream water samples was highest in Emohua LGA with 2.55 x 104 cfu/ml followed by Ikwerre LGA which had 4.20 x 103 cfu/ml and Etche LGA with the least count of 1.80 x 102 cfu/ml. All the isolated bacteria species were found to be resistant to more than 50% of the antibiotics used with highest Multi Antibiotic Resistant Index of 0.625. multidrug resistant bacterial isolates identified include Vibrio sp strain 201707CJKOP-Y162 (MG593726), Bacillus sbtilis clone N55 (JQ622582), Chryseobacterium sp strain CB2915-325-DE_0621 (MH512534), Enterobacter sp strain AB55 (MF407145), Klebsiella pneumonia strain M792-16(MH680830), Shigella sonnei strain AR_0030(CP032523), Escherichia coli strain WECHEC025943(CP027205) and Salmonella bongori strain KC153129.116 (MG663494). Conclusion: Access to good quality or potable drinking water and efficient sanitary practices are fundamental to human health and economic development. The occurrence of multidrug resistant pathogenic bacterial isolates in natural water sources requires serious routine evaluation in order to forestall the outbreak of waterborne disease epidemics.