Prevalence and characterization of Escherichia coli in Kelantan river and its adjacent coastal waters / Chai Siong Kiat

Chai , Siong Kiat (2023) Prevalence and characterization of Escherichia coli in Kelantan river and its adjacent coastal waters / Chai Siong Kiat. Masters thesis, Universiti Malaya.

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Abstract

The presence of Escherichia coli (E. coli) as fecal indicator bacteria in river and seawater may cause mild to serious infections and constitutes a public health risk. Water samples were collected from 15 sites along the Kelantan River, estuaries and its adjacent coastal waters to examine the occurrence and diversity of E. coli. The abundance of E. coli ranged from 3.1 x 10 to 1.6 x 105 CFU 100 mL-1, and total suspended solids correlated significantly with E. coli abundance (r2 = 0.165, p < 0.001) and rainfall (r2 = 0.342, p < 0.001). Phylogenetic group B1 (29.7%) and A (29.4%) were the most prevalent whereas groups B2 and D were least abundant. The higher abundance of phylogenetic group D detected at upstream sites of Kelantan River suggested fecal contamination mainly of animal origin. Canonical correlation analysis showed that phylogenetic group B2 seemed to thrive in water with higher dissolved oxygen levels whereas phylogenetic groups A and D were greater in waters with higher inorganic nutrients e.g. NH4, NO2 and NO3 whereas phylogenetic group B1 appeared to have better salinity tolerance amongst phylogenetic groups.

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