Okonkwo NN¹*, Atansi BK¹, Imo KI², Awari VG³, Ogbunude AP⁴, Ikegwuonu EA¹, Ogujiofor FI¹, Ojeah IK⁵, Agu KC¹, Uwanta LI¹ and Uchechukwu VO¹

¹Applied Microbiology Department, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria
²Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Tansian University, Umunya, Anambra, Nigeria
³Depertment of Microbiology, Tansian University, Umunya, Anambra, Nigeria
⁴Department of Public Health, School of Health and Life Sciences, Teeside University, Middlesbrough, UK
⁵Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, University of Delta Agbor, Delta State, Nigeria

*Corresponding Author: Okonkwo NN, Applied Microbiology Department, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria.

Received: May 19, 2026; Published: June 15, 2026

Abstract

Water is a clear, colorless, tasteless liquid that is composed of hydrogen and oxygen. Water in its natural form contains a number of microbes and pollutants due to industrialization and other anthropogenic activities; the purity of water is critically threatened because of the increasing relevance of these factors. Water quality is crucial to human health and therefore the necessity of water analysis is felt desirable. The main aim of this research is to make a comparative analysis of water from Post graduate, Emelda, Girls and Boys hostel of Nnamdi Azikiwe University. Water samples were collected from four different hostels and analyzed using standard culture methods. The samples were cultured on Nutrient Agar, Eosin Methylene Blue Agar, Salmonella Shigella Agar, Sabouraud Dextrose Agar using pour plate method. Seven different isolates were cultured and they include Escherichia spp, Pseudomonas spp, Klebsiella spp, Enterobacter spp, Salmonella spp, and Aspergillus spp. Total bacteria count, total coliform count and total fungi count were also analyzed on the water samples. The isolated bacteria were identified using biochemical tests which includes; Catalase test, citrate test, indole test, motility test, and gram Staining was also carried out. This research showed that the microbial load was highest in girls’ hostel water, followed by the Emelda hostel and post graduate hostel. Boys’ hostel had the lowest microbial load. This clearly shows that the water samples from these hostels are contaminated and they are unsafe for consumption. There is a need for improved sanitation and also the public should be educated on the importance of water quality monitoring in order to prevent contamination.

Keywords: Microbial Load; Water; Hostel; Bacteria

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Citation

Citation: Okonkwo NN., et al. “Comparative Analysis of Microbial Load of Water in Emelda, Boys, Girls, and Post Graduate Hostel of Nnamdi Azikiwe University". Acta Scientific Biotechnology 6.1 (2026): 01-09.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2026 Okonkwo NN., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.