**1. Introduction**

Water has a function in numerous metabolic activities and is hence an essential ingredient for hydration which sustains health and sanitation, while also having industrial and agricultural applications. Thus, poor water quality has a demoralizing impact on public health, and polluted water sources can lead to waterborne disease outbreaks [1]. According to Gorde and Jadhav [2], the human population is most likely to suffer from waterborne diseases due to the use of contaminated or polluted water.

Irrespective of enormous developments in therapeutic treatment options as well as wastewater treatment facilities, waterborne infections still pose a major threat to public health worldwide [3]. These infections, caused by contaminations of surface water bodies by pathogenic microorganisms transmitted via contact with polluted water, are responsible for the illness of millions of people each year, while also causing numerous deaths [4]. The majority of these infections occur in developing nations which, in comparison with developed nations, often have less than desirable levels of sanitation, socioeconomic conditions, and public health awareness [5].

As beaches are typical spots for human recreation, they can gain a lot of patronage from both domestic and international tourists. Such recreational centers fortify development and prove to be a significant economic contribution to tourism in coastal areas [6]. Unfortunately, many beaches have been subjected to high levels of contamination in recent years [7], which is why this phenomenon has become a matter of urgency [8]. This study thus outlines the importance of maintaining a clean environment in the coastal areas and reports the discovery of pathogenic strains of bacteria exhibiting multidrug resistance.

Fecal contamination of water bodies presents severe public health issues in many countries [9] and owes the source of its threat to microbial pathogens. These are often shed by diseased humans and animals, and may be conveyed via the sewer system and agricultural run-offs [10]. In a study conducted by Okoh et al. [11], it was found that the release of ineffectively-treated effluents were the major source of enteric pathogens in aquatic environs. Due to the low monitoring of health risk that could be associated with beach water, literature has shown that potential risks may be associated with nonhuman fecal contamination [12]. *E. coli* is one of the bacteria used as an indicator organism for the monitoring of water bodies, and different strains of these bacteria are pathogenic. The pathogenicity of a specific *E. coli* pathotype is primarily determined by explicit virulent influences [13]. Globally, *E. coli* strains have been associated with human and animal diseases by means of pathogens, on the basis of their virulent elements and clinical symptoms. According to Mellata [14] and Titilawo et al. [15], *E. coli* strains can be categorized into two groups: extra-intestinal pathogenic *E. coli* (ExPEC) and intestinal pathogenic *E. coli* (InPEC). However, InPEC can also be subdivided into enteroinvasive *E. coli* (EIEC), enteroaggregative *E. coli* (EAEC), diffusely adherent *E. coli* (DAEC), enterotoxigenic *E. coli* (ETEC), enteropathogenic *E. coli* (EPEC), and enterohemorrhagic *E. coli* (EHEC). ExPEC can also be classified into neonatal meningitis *E. coli* (NMEC), uropathogenic *E. coli* (UPEC), and avian pathogenic *E. coli* (APEC) [16]. A further class known as diarrhoeagenic *E. coli* pathotypes has been proposed, such as cell-detaching *E. coli* (CDEC) although their significance remains unclear [16]. The majority of infections caused by *E. coli* are treated by using antimicrobial agents. However, the effects of some of these agents have been compromised by some types of bacteria [17]. Evidently, antimicrobial-resistant bacteria (ARB) can be released into the environment via the discarding of human and animal waste [18]. Moreover, the use of antibiotics for the treatment of infections in humans and farm animals has also been reported to cause an increase in ARB [19], and numerous antibiotics have become ineffective against their targets due to the frequent exposure of pathogens to antimicrobial agents [20,21]. The aim of this study was thus to identify and characterize the *E. coli* isolates into various pathotypes, while also determining the phenotypic resistance pattern of the confirmed isolates.
