Assessment on Bacteriological Contamination of River Water in the Urban Areas of Kozhikode, Kerala

Water contamination refers to degradation of water quality from a public health or ecological view point. The pollution of municipal water by human and animal sources is the major threat to the public health in developing countries. The present study was conducted for detection, isolation and identification of human bacterial pathogens present in the river Mampuzha, near Kaduppini Bridge, Canoly Canal and Mampuzha tributary of Kallai River, Kozhikode which are sources for household and irrigational purposes. Standard MPN was used for detection of pathogens and 16rRNA gene was sequenced for pathogen identification. MPN results showed high rate of faecal contamination in the water source and molecular identification showed the presence of numerous opportunistic pathogens.