Enumeration of Coliform Bacteria and Characterization of Escherichia coli Isolated from Staff Club Swimming Pool in Ile-Ife, Nigeria

Water recreation, though increasing globally, is strongly associated with infectious diseases. Unexpectedly, artificial water recreation systems e.g. swimming pools account for 90% of these outbreaks. It is therefore essential that pool waters be regularly monitored for deviations from microbial water quality guidelines. To assess the sanitary quality of a club swimming pool in Ile-Ife, Nigeria, we used the multiple-tube fermentation technique to determine the most probable number (MPN) of coliform bacteria in 100 mL of pool water. MPN estimates ranged from 9 to 93 with geometric mean of 38. Escherichia coli was isolated from positive presumptive tubes, indicating recent fecal contamination. The isolate elicited similar biochemical reactions as reference E. coli (25922), except that it utilized sucrose and liquefied gelatin, which probably indicates potential pathogenicity. Also, the E. coli isolate was resistant to 13 antibiotics from 9 different classes. Finally, coliform counts and detection of E. coli clearly violates international guidelines. We recommend that pool operators increase water disinfection efficiency and educate the public on the need for improved swimmer hygiene to reduce the risk of recreational water illness transmission.