Perspective Of Swimming Pools and Antibiotic Susceptibiltiy Profile of Bacteria Isolated from Selected Swimming Pools in Ibadan, Nigeria

An ideal water for swimming must meet the required quality standards regarding odour, taste and clarity. This study was aimed at determining the microbiological quality and residual chlorine concentration in swimming pools of selected hotels and recreational centres in Ibadan, Oyo state, Nigeria. Swimming pools from two hotels and two recreational centres were purposively selected and stratified for the study, based on high patronage, accessibility to the public and swimming pool availability. Water samples were collected from each swimming pool in the morning (8-9am) and in the evening (5-6pm). Samples were collected during peak bathing periods at weekends. A total of 48 water samples were collected from the four swimming pools over a period of six weeks. The residual chlorine in the samples was determined using standard methods, while bacteriological analysis was carried out using the pour plate method. Susceptibility of the isolates to a panel of antibiotics was carried out using the disc diffusion method, and detection of ESBL production in the isolates was done using the double disc synergy test. Questionnaires were also administered to investigate swimmers’ behavior that could serve as potential contaminants to the pool, while an in-depth interview was done with the pool operators to get information on swimming pool maintenance. The level of education of the 107 respondents was primary (1), secondary (20) and tertiary (86). The religion was Christianity (65.5%), Islam (32.7) and others (1.9%). In terms of Ethnic group, Igbo (21.5%), Yoruba (71%), Hausa (4.7%) and others (2.8%), while 70.1% and 29.9% of the participants were males and females respectively. The 16-20 years age group had the largest number of respondents with 34. Only one of the respondents swam throughout the seven days of the week. Twenty-eight bacteria: P. aeruginosa (9), E. coli (7), Klebsiella spp. (9), Citrobacter spp., Enterobacter spp. (1) were obtained. Seven of the isolates obtained were positive for ESBL production. The resistance to antibiotics was: tetracycline (14%), cefpodoxime (57%), cefotaxime (32%), ceftazidime (18%), ciprofloxacin (14%), imipenem (18%), gentamicin (32%), chloramphenicol (43%), amoxicillin-clavulanate (46%) and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (39%). There was a significant drop (P≤0.05) in the residual chlorine concentration, ranging from 59.2% to 72%, after bathers used the swimming pools. The swimming pools did not comply with the CDC and WHO standard for recreational activities due to the presence of enteric bacteria and therefore constitute serious health risks to the bathers. The detection of ESBL-producing bacteria in the pools is another budding public health threat. The pool operators should follow recreational water guidelines for proper management of the swimming pools.