Sanitary status and water quality of some drinking water sources and antibiogram of Shiga toxin-producing O157:H7 isolated from Shika, Zaria, Nigeria.

This study assessed the sanitary condition and quality of selected wells and boreholes in Shika, Zaria Nigeria. Fifty samples each were collected during the dry and wet seasons. This involved sanitary survey, water quality assessment, isolation and characterization of Shiga toxin-producing O157:H7 (STEC) and, antibiogram assay. Based on the risk of contamination, wells (72%) had a high risk of contamination, while boreholes (44%) had low risk of contamination. Their physicochemical quality varied with season and location, and mean total coliform (TC) and faecal coliform (FC) were significantly lower in the dry season (p < 0.05). STEC were isolated from only wells with a prevalence of 4%, and exhibited a multidrug resistance pattern (amoxicillin, erythromycin and tetracycline). There was a strong positive correlation between sanitary status and water quality. The high- and very high-risk categories (wells) were strongly correlated with TC, FC, BOD, phosphate, turbidity and pH.              .