Incidence of pathogenic infective agents in water sources of Beni-Suef governorate and methods of prevention

ABSTRACT

Seventy-two ground water samples [driven wells] and 36 surface water samples [Ebrahimia Canal and its tributaries] were collected from different localities in Beni-Swif Governorate and subjected to bacteriological examinations and chemical analysis for determination of their hygienic conditions for animal consumption. The heterotrophic plate count for all ground and surface water samples ranged from zero to 210 x 10 3 colonies/ml and 60 x 10 3 to 350 x 10 3 colonies/ml, respectively. The total coliform count ranged from zero to 19 colonies/ml for the ground water samples but for the surface one was from 1 x 10 3 to 36 x 10 3 colonies/ml. The fecal Strep. count ranged from zero to 15.2 colonies/ml for the ground water samples but for the surface one was from zero to 150 colonies/ml. The isolated microorganisms were E. coli, Citrobacter, Enterobacter, Serratia, Providencia, Yersinia, Pseudomonas, Strep. fecalis and Strep. faecium for the surface water and Shigella, Klebsiella and Proteus for the ground water beside the isolated microorganisms of the surface water. The respective figures of the chemical analysis of the ground and surface water amounted to pH 6.5-7.3 and 6.5-7.1, ammonia 0.8 to 2.8 mg/L and 0.89-4.6 mg/L, nitrate 0.2-15.2 mg/L and 0.4-6.03 mg/L, nitrite 0.01-0.32 mg/L and 0.01-0.09 mg/L, phosphate 3.8-13.5 mg/L and 3.9-40.5 mg/L, chloride 90-440 mg/L and 10-101 mg/L, hardness 68-400 mg/L and 10-320 mg/L