Abstract
In Egypt as well as in many other developing count ries, there are no specific standards for hospital water. Even water is free from the traditi onal bacterial indicators, it may represent a sourc e of health hazards especially for elderly, children and patients under dialysis due to the presence of opportunistic pathogenic bacteria. The study was ca rried out on the bacteriological water quality at the intakes as well as the end of water treatment t rain of two water treatment plants that supplying three hospitals located in Greater Cairo, Egypt wit h water that used for different purposes. Samples of the raw water supply for the two water treatment plants (Nile River water) showed ranges of 10 2 - 10 5 cfu mL -1 , 10 2 -10 4 MPN 100 mL -1 , 10 2 -10 4 MPN 100 mL -1 and 10 2 -10 3 MPN 100 mL -1 for Heterotrophic Plate Count (HPC) bacteria, Total Col iforms (TC), Fecal Coliforms (FC) and Fecal Streptococci (FS), respectively. Treated water show ed considerable reduction in HPC while the other bacterial indicators reached the undetectable level. The distribution system impact on treated water quality was limited to causing an increase in HPC bacteria. A study was carried out to determine the presence of Pseudomonas aeuginosa , Aeromonas spp. and Staphylococcus aureus in hospitals tap water, water reservoirs, as well as w ater for preparation of hemodialysis fluids. Although the post-chlorinated water in both water t reatment plants was free from bacterial indicators, it still contaminated with the three st udied opportunistic pathogenic bacteria. The detected opportunistic pathogens may be attributed to the distribution system condition and/or the presence of storage tanks. Hemodialysis water sampl es showed the higher percentage of P. aeruginosa isolates which represent a major source of health r isk to patient's attending dialysis process in hospitals and clinics. The presence of o pportunistic bacteria in drinking water and dialysate with absence of coliform and low HPC suggested that the criteria for drinking water are usually not adequate for water used in hospitals. T he purpose for which the water is to be used determines the criteria for water quality. Storage of water should be as hygienic as possible.
Highlights
Opportunistic pathogens include those organisms which exist as a part of the normal body microflora but under certain conditions, they cause diseases in compromised hosts
The presence of opportunistic pathogens in hospital water supply was followed by testing the initial water source (Nile River water) and demonstrated the effect of water treatment processes on the removal of opportunistic pathogens, the effect of distribution system on water the explanation for the deterioration in water quality quality, water quality (Edwards, 2000)
The distribution system and storage tanks) and the hospital, water storage tanks represent a place for possibility of health hazards through the use of water bacteria proliferation including a source for opportunistic that was contaminated by opportunistic pathogenic pathogens contamination (Felfoldi et al, 2010)
Summary
Opportunistic pathogens include those organisms which exist as a part of the normal body microflora but under certain conditions, they cause diseases in compromised hosts. They ordinarily are not invasive but dependent on opportunities through breaks in the natural body barriers, such as wounds, burns, depressed gastric acidity. Sci., 8 (3): 262-270, 2012 die as a direct result Many of these organisms are healthcare personnel washed using tap water can found among the diverse flora of water supply lead to patient exposure to opportunistic pathogens (Grabinska-Loniewska et al, 2007). Bacteria isolated from distributed water indicated that over 30% of the total bacterial populations were
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