Abundance of Potential Pathogenic Bacteria in an Impacted Urban River used for Domestic Purposes: Djibi River, Ivory Coast

Abstract

This study aims to quantify potential pathogenic bacteria and analyze the seasonal variability of pathogens from Djibi, the most important river crossing Abidjan city’s border receiving sewage waters from the densely populated area of Abobo, in Ivory Coast, in order to evaluate potential health risk for the users of these waters. Then, 36 samples of river waters were collected in sterile bottles at 4 stations (Djibi sand careers, Djibi cemetery, Djibi garbage and Djibi bridge) from January 2016 to February 2017 during nine sampling campaigns to detect presence and abundance of Salmonella sp. and Vibrio sp. The median abundances of pathogenic bacteria ranged between 8.65 × 10 3 and 7.60 × 10 3 CFU of Vibrio sp. (100 mL) -1 . The highest abundance values were recorded in Djibi sand careers and Djibi garbage with concentrations of 3.75 × 10 4 and 4.37 × 10 4 Vibrio sp. (100 mL) -1 respectively. We also observed that Salmonella sp. were present in all the samples analyzed. This clearly indicates a potential risk when using these waters for irrigation and domestic purposes. The natural connection of this river to the potential drinking water reservoir of Aghien represents a significant public health hazard.