Microbiological analysis of Poti River water in the urban area of the Teresina-Piauí city

Abstract

Teresina is a framed city of two rivers that embrace it. Thereby, the capital of Piauí has been growing rapidly and erratically, resulting in a spread of waste in soil and water. In order to understand the state of bacteriological contamination of the Poty River, located in the State of Piauí, Brazil, some water samples were collected in 03 separate points of the city. The next step was to determine the amount of total bacteria/ml (pt); coliform rate/100 ml (0.176pt), in lactic broth, Brilliant Green Bile and Escherichia coli in selective agars, such as Eosin methylene blue (E.M.B) and Shigella samonella (S.S). The results displayed that the bacterial pollution levels of the river have become a matter of public health, and therefore, it is inevitable to review some actions that carry implications which directly and indirectly are degrading the hydric resources. Furthermore, there is an importance and urgency in putting in place an efficient basic sanitation system for the whole population of Teresina, in order to all of them have access to treated water to consumption, and so reducing the risk of diseases that are bound to this resource. Further studies, including the socioeconomic kind, must be conducted in order to monitor the microbiological quality of the Poty River, as well as the way of use of these waters by the local population. The present work is aimed to analyze the microbiological aspects of the water of the Poty River in the fishing area of Teresina, evaluating the possible risks to the workers and consumers who enjoy this activity.