ABSTRACT

The significance of a swimming pool is that various microorganisms of public health importance are associated with swimming pool and similar recreational water environment. The risk of illness or infection emanating from these microorganisms may be as a result of faecal contamination of the pool water. The aim of this study is to assess the microbiological and physicochemical characteristics of swimming pool water in Umuahia in Umuahia metropolis.  A total number of 10 samples of swimming pool water were collected from Five (5) different hotels in Umuahia, Nigeria. The media used in the study were; MacConkey agar, saboruad dextrose agar, nutrient agar and eosin methylene blue agar. Motility test, catalase test, coagulase test, citrate test, oxidase test, indole test, urease test, methyl red test, voges-proskaeur test, and sugar fermentation test were used to determine the characteristics of the isolates. Five (5) bacteria and one (1) fungus were isolated from swimming pool water of different hotels in Umuahia, Nigeria. The isolated bacteria were Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus mirabilis, Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp and Shigella spp while the only fungus isolated was Aspergillus spp. The highest percentage occurrence of 30.70% was observed for Staphylococcus aureus while the least percentage occurrence of 7.7% was observed for, have the same percentage occurrence of 23.1% while proteus mirabilis, had the percentage occurrence of 15.4%. the total bacterial count shows that isolate IG (Escherichia coli) has the highest count 1.86 x 10⁴ cfu/ml while the least bacteria count of 1.38 x 101 cfu/ml was observed for isolate IG (Shigella spp). The total fungal that isolate RD (Escherichia coli) has the highest count of 1.43 x 10³ cfu/ml while the least fungal count of 1.11 x 10² cfu/ml was observed for isolate VR (Shigella spp). The results of the study have shown that the disinfection of swimming pool water around the vicinity varies. In order to ensure the safety of the health of swimming pool users and also to prevent the spread of pathogenic microorganism, it is therefore appropriate that high-level of treatment through disinfection be carried out in hotel swimming pools before usage or during swimming period in other to maintain a clean swimming environment and also eliminate both natural swimming pool water organisms and those introduced unknowingly by swimming pool users