Abstract

Emerging infectious diseases are a significant burden on global economy and Aeromonas infections remain among those infectious diseases of potentially serious threat to public health. For this reason, the present study was aimed at determining the prevalence of Aeromonas species in treated and untreated waters in parts of Plateau state, Nigeria. The study was carried out in four local government areas of Plateau state comprising of Jos North, Jos South, Jos East and Bassa local government areas. Eight hundred (800) water samples including Tap water (160), well water (160), dam water (160), sachet water (160) and bottled water (160) were randomly collected in 300 ml sterile storage bottles from different sites while the bottled water and sachet (“pure water”) were purchased from different vendors within the sampling area. Isolation, enumeration and identification of Aeromonas species were carried out according to standard procedures. Out of the 800 water samples examined for Aeromonas species, 386 (48.25%) were positive. Among the water samples examined, dam water yielded the highest percentage prevalence of Aeromonas with a percentage of 19.25%, while the lowest was bottled water with a percentage of 1.37%.  Statistically, there was a significant difference (p<0.05) in the frequency of isolation of the organism with regard to treated and untreated water at 95% confidence level. There was also a significant difference (P<0.05) between the prevalence of Aeromonas species in water with regard to the sources at 95% confidence level. This study revealed that there is a high prevalence of Aeromonas species in the various water samples examined and this may pose a health risk especially for immune compromised individuals, therefore, proper personal hygiene and the provision of potable water is highly advocated.

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