The Mhlathuze river catchment: Bacterial contamination and antibiotic resistance patterns of the isolates

The present study reports on the fecal contamination in Mhlathuze river catchment and the incidence of antibiotic resistance amongst the bacterial isolates from water sources as well as from diarrhoea patients living in the area. The Mhlathuze river catchment (Northern KwaZulu-Natal, RSA) is home to an extensive rural population that is dependent on water from this river for all domestic purposes. An increase in indicator fecal coliform bacteria was observed between 1998 and 1999. Increased surface water temperature during this period (1998 1999) appeared to be one of the factors affecting the increased bacterial counts. Bacteria isolated from the river also included E, coli, Pseudomonas-, Enterobacter-. (detected frequently), Serratia, Klebsiella spp., and Aeromonas hydrophila (detected less frequently). Pathogens isolated from stool samples of diarrhoea patients of the area and their drinking water included Salmonella-, Shigella spp. and E. coli 0157:H7. More than 90 % of the specimens of the Shigella-, Salmonella spp. were resistant to ampicillin and penicillin. Multiple (three or more) antibiotic resistance amongst isolated pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria was a common occurrence.