Abstract:
The objectives of this research was to isolate and identify the coliforms and other enteric bacteria
species from selected well water sources, determine the physicochemical properties of the well
water, screen for the presence of heavy metals and determine the antibiotic sensitivity and
resistance patterns of the isolates from each well water source. Twelve selected wells were used
for this study, the water samples were collected in triplicate from each well. During the dry
season, January and February, 2020 and during the rainy season in May, 2020. The Most
Probable Number method was used. High value of bacterial counts were recorded in this study
and it ranged from 7 to 250 cfu/100ml. The bacterial isolates were, Esherichia coli, Salmonella
typhi, Shigella dysentariae and Klebsiella pnuemoniae. Esherichia coli was isolated from all
samples collected, while Salmonella typhi was isolated from 70% of the samples. The isolates
were tested on ten different antibiotics which were Sparfloxacin (10ug), Ciprofloxacin (30ug),
Amoxicillin (30ug), Augmentin (10ug), Gentamicin (30ug), Pefloxacin (30ug), Ofloxacin
(10ug), Streptomycin (30ug), Septrin (30ug) and Chloramphenicol (30ug). Resistant isolates
were selected according to Clinical laboratory standard institute (CLSI) standard. The isolates
from ward one during the dry season were 100% sensitive to ciprofloxacin, sparfloxacin,
pefloxacin, and ofloxacin. High rate of resistance occurred in E. coli and K. pnuemoniae (66.7%)
when tested with augmentin, Salmonella typhi (50%) when tested with amoxicillin, Shigella
dysentariae (45%) when tested with streptomycin in dry season. Higher rate of resistance was
recorded during the rainy season than the dry season. The value obtained for hardness,
conductance and total dissolved solids were 122.9mg/L, 48.0mS, 5.8mg/L in the dry season, and
123.6mg/L, 48.1mS and 7.2mg/L in the rainy season respectively. In the dry season the mean
value obtained for lead, Cadmium, Zinc, Iron and Manganese were 0.294mg/L, 0.039mg/L,
0.166mg/L, 1.78mg/L, 0.202mg/L and 0.241mg/L, 0.028mg/L, 0.227mg/L, 1.922mg/L,
0.053mg/L in the rainy season respectively
