title: Bacteriological quality of the wastewater used for irrigation at the vegetable farms in Korle-bu Teaching Hospital, Accra Metropolis, Ghana.
abstract: Many developing countries, including Ghana, are water stressed. As such, farmers, particularly those in urban areas, have adopted the use of wastewater for irrigation. This study evaluated the bacteriological water quality of the wastewater used for irrigation in the vegetable farms at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), Accra Metropolis, Ghana. In all, 40 wastewater samples were collected and analysed bacteriologically using the total aerobic plate count method. The isolated bacteria were identified biochemically using Bergey's manual for determinative bacteriology. Mean total bacterial colony count values in the range of 2.75-4.44 × 105CFU/100 mL were isolated which far exceeds values of 1 × 103/100 mL recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for unrestricted irrigation of crops likely to be eaten raw. Enterobacter cloacae (51.4%), Klebsiella sp. (24.1%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (11.3%), Salmonella typhi (10.6%), Escherichia coli (2.2%) and Proteus sp. (0.4%) were the predominant bacteria isolated. Growers should use treated wastewater for farming while processors and consumers should minimize contamination risks of produce from the vegetable farms/garden to the plate.
authors: Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences (MEDLAB), School of Biomedical and Allied Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Korle-Bu, Accra, Ghana gpesewu@yahoo.co.uk.
authors: George A
authors: GA
authors: Pesewu
authors: Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences (MEDLAB), School of Biomedical and Allied Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Korle-Bu, Accra, Ghana.|Institute for Environmental and Sanitation Studies (IESS), University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Bentum
authors: Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences (MEDLAB), School of Biomedical and Allied Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Korle-Bu, Accra, Ghana.
authors: Michael A
authors: MA
authors: Olu-Taiwo
authors: Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences (MEDLAB), School of Biomedical and Allied Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Korle-Bu, Accra, Ghana.
authors: Kathreen K
authors: KK
authors: Glover
authors: Institute for Environmental and Sanitation Studies (IESS), University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
authors: Dzidzo R
authors: DR
authors: Yirenya-Tawiah
mesh_terms: D057914:Agricultural Irrigation; D000383:Agriculture; D018556:Crops, Agricultural; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000072480:Farms; D005506:Food Contamination; D005869:Ghana; D006801:Humans; D014505:Urban Population; D062065:Wastewater; D014871:Water Microbiology
chemical_list: D062065:Wastewater
keywords: Enterobacter; Wastewater; irrigation; quality; vegetables