Occurrence and Distribution of Bacteria Isolates in Water Bodies and its Public Health Implication in Port Harcourt Metropolis

The study investigated the public health implications of the occurrence and distribution of bacteria isolates in water bodies within Port Harcourt Metropolis. An analytic descriptive sample design was employed as the study design. Water samples (from boreholes, hand dogged wells and rivers) were collected in a 10mL sterile container from seven sample stations: Abuloma, Borikiri, Eagle Island, Fimie, Isaka-Macoba, Rumuokoro, and Rumuekini respectively. The collected Samples were taken to the laboratory for microbial analysis.Results revealed that surface water (river) has the highest isolates. Furthermore, Serratia spp. for boreholes and surface water equilibrated in the rate of the frequency of isolates (i.e., 2 each). However, Staphylococcus spp., Shigella spp., Proteus spp., Citrobacter spp., Pseudomonas spp., and Bacillus spp. exercised the most isolated microorganisms in the surface water bodies. The presence of Shigella, Salmonella, E Coli, etc. in the water body defines contamination by sewage (hand dogged wells or borehole) and runoff (for the river). Thus, its impacts on public health are predictably negative. Therefore, it is recommended that water for public consumption should be well treated before consumptio