Effect of chemical pollutants on bacterial counts in El-Temsah Lake area, Ismailia, Egypt.
Sampling was carried out in El-Temsah Lake and side branch canal to determine the effect of organic and inorganic pollutants and physical parameters on the count of microorganisms of surface water. Standard Plate Counts (SPC) method and Most Probable Number (MPN) technique were used. With SPC, total coliform (TC) and fecal coliform (FC) count were found to be 236 x 10(3), 620/100 ml and 450/100 ml in the side branch canal where water was brackish, turbid and partially stagnant. In El-Temsah lake sites, where the water was salty, clear and agitated, count were 137 x 10(3), 460/100 ml and 137/100 1 in Sc-path way; 137 x 10(3), 420/100 ml and 110/100 ml in Seuz Canal Corporation (SCC) harbour and arsenal; 138 x 10(3), 410/100 ml and 120/100 ml in beach areas. Increase in microbial counts was directly related to increase in organic and inorganic pollutants. The FC counts in first sector exceeded the recommended safe concentration (200/100 ml), while in the other sector they were well within the safe concentration. Moreover bacterial counts were higher in the presence of the surrounding clay soil than in sandy soil. Gram negative rods ratios were higher in the first sector than the second, while gram positive cocci were higher in the second sectors (salted water) than in the first sector. Micrococci and Staphylococci were the dominant genera among positive cocci in salt water, probably due to the salt tolerance of the family Micrococcaceae. In beach area, Staphylococci predominated, due to their endemic nature on human skin.
Dowidar
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Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Suez-Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt.
Abdel-Monem
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MH
D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004534:Egypt; D014871:Water Microbiology; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical