Antibiogram of Bacterial Isolated from Selected Borehole Water as Source of Drinking Water in Kakata, Margibi, Liberia

Water is acquired from rain, bodies of water (rivers, ponds), and groundwater. Although water can include inappropriate chemicals (from natural sources and agricultural operations), the most serious threat to human wellness is fecal pollution of water supplies, which causes water-borne illnesses. Borehole water samples from seven places in Kakata, Margibi County, Liberia were analyzed for microbial load using standard microbiological procedures. The susceptibility of the microorganisms isolated to commercial antibiotics was also determined. The overall aerobic plate count ranged from 1.9×10 to 5.4×10² cfu/ml, whereas the total coliform count varied from 0.6×10 to 1.8×10 cfu/100ml. The fecal coliform count was low in most samples and entirely absent in one of the research locations. Microbial numbers significantly differed (p=0.05) among the regions investigated. The predominant bacteria isolated were Bacillus species, Enterococcus species, Citrobacter species, Salmonella species, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus. The antibiogram performed using the disc diffusion technique revealed that Staphylococcus aureus was most susceptible to streptomycin and least sensitive to ciprofloxacin, while Enterococcus species was most sensitive to septrin but resistant to several of the antibiotics tested. Escherichia coli was the most sensitive to septrin and the least to ciprofloxacin. Ciprofloxacin inhibited Citrobacter species similarly to nalidixic acid. Salmonella species were very vulnerable to nalidixic acid and augmentin, however Bacillus species were resistant to all antibiotics tested, which raises public health concerns.