Isolation of Bacteria from River Water and Drinking Water: A Comparative Study in Nasiriyah City
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61856/22v32d39Keywords:
Bacterial isolation River water Drinking water Nasiriyah RO waterAbstract
This study aimed to isolate and identify bacteria present in river water and drinking water sources in Nasiriyah city, Dhi Qar province. A total of 100 water samples were collected from four different sources (25 samples each): the Euphrates River (representing natural river water), tap water, bottled water, and reverse osmosis (RO) water (representing different drinking water sources). Laboratory examinations were conducted using traditional bacterial culture techniques and biochemical tests. Results showed the presence of various bacterial species in all studied water sources. The Euphrates River recorded the highest bacterial contamination level with an average of 800–5,200 CFU/ml, and RO water showed the lowest contamination level with <30 CFU/ml. Several pathogenic bacterial species were isolated, including Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus spp., and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) between bacterial counts in different water sources. The findings indicate the importance of regular water quality monitoring and the implementation of strict water safety standards, particularly for the Euphrates River and tap water. The study recommends improving water treatment systems and developing microbiological monitoring programs for water in the region.
References
Abdullah, S. A., Abdullah, A. H. J., & Ankush, M. A. (2019). Assessment of water quality in the Euphrates River, Southern Iraq. The Iraqi Journal of Agricultural Science, 50(1), 312–319. https://doi.org/10.36103/ijas.v50i1.297
Al-Ansari, N., Jawad, S., Adamo, N., & Sissakian, V. K. (2019). Water quality and its environmental implications within Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Journal of Earth Sciences and Geotechnical Engineering, 9(3), 57–108. https://www.scienpress.com/Upload/JESGE/Vol%209_3_4.pdf
Al-Ghazzawi, G. J., & Al-Shammari, A. J. S. (2014). Ability of some types of bacteria isolated from the Shatt Al-Arab water and marine bio-adsorption for some heavy metals. Journal of Basrah Researches (Sciences), 40. https://doi.org/10.33762/jbres
Bain, R., Cronk, R., Hossain, R., Bonjour, S., Onda, K., Wright, J., Yang, H., Slaymaker, T., Hunter, P., Prüss-Ustün, A., & Bartram, J. (2014). Global assessment of exposure to faecal contamination through drinking water based on a systematic review. Tropical Medicine & International Health, 19(8), 917–927. https://doi.org/10.1111/tmi.12334
Bridle, H. (2021). Overview of waterborne pathogens. In Waterborne pathogens (pp. 9–40). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-818783-8.00002-4
El Din, N. T. S. (2019). Microbiological quality of bottled drinking water distributed in Khartoum State. African Journal of Medical Sciences. https://www.ajol.info/index.php/ajms
Gwenzi, W., & Sanganyado, E. (2019). Recurrent cholera outbreaks in Sub-Saharan Africa: Moving beyond epidemiology to understand environmental reservoirs and drivers. Challenges, 10(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.3390/challe10010001
Hamad, A. A., Sharaf, M., Hamza, M. A., Selim, S., Hetta, H. F., & El-Kazzaz, W. (2022). Investigation of the bacterial contamination and antibiotic susceptibility profile of bacteria isolated from bottled drinking water. Microbiology Spectrum, 10(1), e01516-21. https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.01516-21
Hattie, J. (1985). Methodology review: Assessing unidimensionality of tests and items. Applied Psychological Measurement, 9(2), 139–164. https://doi.org/10.1177/014662168500900204
Holt, J. G., Krieg, N. R., Sneath, P. H. A., Staley, J. T., & Williams, S. T. (1994). Bergey’s manual of determinative bacteriology (9th ed.). Williams & Wilkins.
Ishii, S., & Sadowsky, M. J. (2008). Escherichia coli in the environment: Implications for water quality and human health. Microbes and Environments, 23(2), 101–108. https://doi.org/10.1264/jsme2.23.101
Landrigan, P. J., Stegeman, J. J., Fleming, L. E., Allemand, D., Anderson, D. M., Backer, L. C., & Rampal, P. (2020). Human health and ocean pollution. Annals of Global Health, 86(1), 151. https://doi.org/10.5334/aogh.2831
MacFaddin, J. F. (2004). Biochemical tests for identification of medical bacteria (3rd ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Sinclair, R. G., Jones, E. L., & Gerba, C. P. (2009). Viruses in recreational water-borne disease outbreaks: A review. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 107(6), 1769–1780. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2672.2009.04367.x
World Health Organization. (2011). Guidelines for drinking-water quality (4th ed.). WHO Press. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241549950
Ahmed, W., Bibby, K., Bivins, A., Simpson, S. L., Smith, W. J. M., Metcalfe, S., McMinn, B., Symonds, E. M., & Toze, S. (2020). Detection of pathogens in surface water and drinking water systems. Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health, 16, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coesh.2020.01.002
Ashbolt, N. J. (2015). Microbial contamination of drinking water and disease outcomes in developing regions. Toxicology, 198(1–3), 229–238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tox.2004.01.030
Cabral, J. P. S. (2010). Water microbiology. Bacterial pathogens and water. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 7(10), 3657–3703. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph7103657
Li, X., Li, P., & Qian, H. (2022). Microbial contamination in drinking water systems and its impact on human health. Environmental Research, 204, 112092. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2021.112092
World Health Organization. (2022). Guidelines for drinking-water quality: Fourth edition incorporating the first and second addenda. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240049956
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 International Innovations Journal of Applied Science
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
