**5. Conclusions**

This research demonstrates that the aquatic environs of the Nahoon beach are potential reservoirs of pathogenic *E. coli* strains that may probably combine a high level of antimicrobial resistance. This is an indication of the pressure mount by antimicrobial usage and poses a serious public health risk to humans upon exposure, consequently, presenting a public health hazard to the people around where the beach is located.

**Author Contributions:** A.I.O. and K.E.E. conceived and designed the experiments; K.E.E. performed the experiments; K.E.E. and M.A.A. analyzed the data; A.I.O. and M.A.A. contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools; K.E.E. and A.I.O. wrote the paper.

**Funding:** This research received funding from the South Africa Medical Research Council (SAMRC).

**Acknowledgments:** The authors would like to express sincere appreciation to the South Africa Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and the University of Fort Hare for their financial support.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest.
