Occurrence of opportunistic pathogenic bacteria in a semiarid reservoir of Rio Grande do Norte state, Brazil

Abstract

The freshwater quality has been diminished due to human activities, primarily related to the disposal of sewage, which can contain a variety of microorganisms found in the human gut microbiota, as members of the family Enterobacteriaceae that can be pathogenic causing opportunistic infections. This study aimed to identify potentially pathogenic bacteria in reservoirs of the Piranhas-Assú River Basin, in northeastern Brazil. Water samples were collected from February 2009 to November 2010, monthly, in drought and rain periods, and biochemical identification was done using commercial identification kits. The highest percentage of isolates (78%) showed morphological and biochemical characteristics of enterobacteria. Among the species found, Citrobacter diversus, Enterobacter agglomerans, Morganella morganii ssp morganii, Enterobacter spp, Proteus myxofaciems, Proteus penneri and Serratia spp. are opportunistic pathogenic species. Species with environmental and biotechnological interest as Chromobacterium violaceum and Acinetobacter lwoffii were also identified. The data indicates the need for monitoring the quality of water used in the studied region, and to the environmental and health education activities to the local population.