Assessment of Waterborne Bacterial Pathogens in the Cafeterias in Khartoum State: Escherichia coli as an Example

Abstract

This is a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out at Sudan University of Science and Technology (SUST), during the period April – July 2013. The aim of the study was to assess waterborne pathogens in the cafeterias in SUST. A total of 30 water samples were collected from 18 cafeterias in SUST campuses. The samples were cultured in MacConkey's broth to calculate most probable number (MPN) and to detect total coliform bacteria. The positive tubes were subcultured on Brilliant green broth and Eosin Methylene blue agar media to detect fecal coliform bacteria. The later was identified by conventional bacteriological methods. The results revealed that the MPN ranges from 0 to 21. Of the 30 water samples investigated only 3 (10%) samples were positive for fecal coliform bacteria, while the rest 27 (90%) were negative for fecal coliform bacteria. This study concluded that there is a strong evidence of fecal contamination in water of three cafeterias. Hand washing, regular wearing uniform and improve health awareness of workers are highly recommended as well as further studies to investigate other source of contamination with large sample size.