Prevalence of Antibiotic-Resistant Escherichia Coli from Groundwater Sources and Sanitary Inspection for Contamination Risk in Bagamoyo District, Tanzania
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Date
2025-07
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NM-AIST
Abstract
In Low and Middle-income Countries (LMICs), people have access to water but have no access to safe, clean, and protected water sources. Globally, two billion people consume water contaminated with faeces, with Escherichia coli being the most prevalent pathogen in polluted water, posing significant health risks. This underscores the urgent need to investigate resistant E. coli from groundwater sources and to conduct sanitary inspections. In the Bagamoyo District, a cross-sectional study was undertaken, examining 60 boreholes, 39 dug wells and 64 tube wells with hand-pumps. Escherichia coli was isolated through a membrane-filtration method, and the disc diffusion method was used in susceptibility testing according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) standards. The study found E. coli contaminated
44.8% of groundwater samples and 83.6% of E. coli isolates were resistant to at least one antibiotic. Resistance was highly observed to cefazolin (56.16%) and nitrofurantoin (54.79%), Moreover, 70% of the E. coli isolates were multidrug-resistant, with an overall MAR-index of 0.28. Sanitary inspections revealed that dug-wells (46.2%) were at high contamination risk, and tube wells with hand pumps (32.8%) were at high and low contamination risk levels. Also, boreholes (73.3%) were at low contamination risk. High E. coli contamination was observed in boreholes despite of being at low contamination risk. Furthermore, groundwater sources
across contamination risk categories indicated high-rate-resistant E. coli contamination. Therefore, these findings highlight the presence of resistant E. coli from groundwater in Bagamoyo district and emphasize the necessity to promote proper antibiotic use to prevent contamination by resistant bacteria.
Sustainable Development Goals
SDG - 6 : Clean Water and Sanitation
SDG -3 : Good Health and Well-being