Sanitary quality of the public groundwater supply for the municipality of Belém in northern Brazil

Qualidade sanitária da água do manancial de superfície utilizado pelo serviço de abastecimento público do município de Belém, Pará, Brasil

Abstracts

The present study verified the quality of the water of Água Preta Lake, which is part of the public supply for the Northern Brazilian municipality of Belém (Pará State). Six samples were collected from each of six sampling points. The concentration (NMP) of coliforms was determined by Multiple-tube fermentation Technique. The isolates of Escherichia coli obtained from the samples were tested for susceptibility to the antibiotics (cefoxitin, ampicillin, imipenem, gentamicin, and amikacin). Furthermore, was analyzed the presence of diagnostic genes for the diarrheagenic strains of E. coli. None of the genes was identified, however, the recorded concentrations of thermo-tolerant coliforms were within the recommended limits for standing water sources used for public supplies. Nevertheless, the highest concentrations of total and thermo-tolerant coliforms were recorded at two points, one adjacent to the most densely-populated area of the lake margin, and the other near the catchment area for water from the Guamá River. The susceptibility testing indicated the presence of six resistance phenotype profiles, including multi-resistant strains. The results of the study reinforce the need for the systematic monitoring of this water source, in order to provide guidelines for the development of effective management policies for public water supplies, as well as the prevention of water-borne diseases.

enterobacteriaceae; escherichia coli; water supply

Neste estudo, a qualidade da água foi verificada no manancial de abastecimento Água Preta, do município de Belém (PA). Houve seis amostragens em seis pontos de coleta e a concentração de coliformes foi verificada através da Técnica de Fermentação em Tubos Múltiplos para a determinação do NMP. Os isolados de Escherichia coli obtidos foram submetidos ao teste de sensibilidade aos seguintes antimicrobianos: cefoxitina, ampicilina, imipenem, gentamicina e amicacina. Além disso, foi investigado genes codificadores de fatores de virulência relacionados às variedades diarreiogênicas de E. coli. Não houve ocorrência de genes relacionados à patogenicidade, e as concentrações de coliformes termotolerantes apresentaram-se dentro dos padrões para mananciais de superfície usados para fins de abastecimento público. Contudo, as maiores concentrações de coliformes totais e termotolerantes foram observadas no ponto de coleta próximo à captação no rio Guamá e na área de maior adensamento populacional no entorno do lago. O teste de suscetibilidade dos isolados E. coli indicou uma alta porcentagem de resistência a ampicilina, a presença de seis perfis fenotípicos e a ocorrência de multiresistência. Assim, os resultados reforçam a necessidade do monitoramento sistemático deste manancial, visando a implementação de políticas de preservação e proteção dos mananciais utilizados para fins de abastecimento público, assim como a prevenção de doenças veiculadas pela água.

enterobacteriaceae; escherichia coli; abastecimento de água

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Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  05 May 2015
• Date of issue
  2013

History

• Received
  27 Mar 2013
• Accepted
  19 Nov 2013