Jnl Health Pop Nutr, Jan 2012
Diversity and Antibiograms of Bacterial Organisms Isolated from Household Drinking-water Samples Consumed by HIV-positive Individuals in Rural Settings, South Africa
A. Samie et al.
Diarrhoea is a hallmark of HIV infections in developing countries, and many diarrhoea-causing agents are often transmitted through water. The objective of the study was to determine the diversity and antibiotic susceptibility profiles of bacterial organisms isolated from HIV-infected and AIDS patients’ household drinking-water. In the present study, household water stored for use by HIV-positive patients was tested for microbial quality, and bacterial organisms isolated were analyzed for their antibiotic susceptibility profiles against 25 different antibiotics. The microbial quality of water was generally poor, and about 58% of water samples (n=270) were contaminated with faecal coliforms, with counts varying from 2 colony-forming unit (CFU)/100 mL to 2.4×04 CFU/100 mL. Education on treatment of household water is advised for HIV-positive patients, and measures should be taken to improve point-of-use water treatment as immunosuppressed individuals would be more susceptible to opportunistic infections.
