Contamination Status of Salmonella spp., Shigella spp. and Campylobacter spp. in Surface and Groundwater of the Kelani River Basin, Sri Lanka

Waterborne diseases are a global problem that causes more than 2.2 million deaths annually. Therefore, the present study was focused on microbiological contamination of both ground and surface water by means of total coliform,Escherichia coli(E. coli),Salmonellaspp.,Shigellaspp. andCampylobacterspp. Seventy two groundwater and 45 surface water sampling locations were selected to collect water from the head, transitional and meandering regions of the Kelani River Basin for a period of one year (both dry and wet seasons). The results of the study revealed that the entire Kelani River basin was contaminated with total coliform andE. colibacteria and almost all the sampling locations exceed Sri Lanka Standards Institute (SLSI) guideline value given for drinking water (0 CFU/100 mL). Further, in groundwater, 17 locations were positive forSalmonellaspp., whereas only 2 locations were positive forCampylobacterspp. In surface water, 26 and three sampling locations were positive forSalmonellaspp. andCampylobacterspp., respectively. In this study, 23 different human pathogenic serovars were isolated and theSalmonella enterica serovarKentucky was identified as the commonest type. Thus, the result of the study revealed that the consumption of raw water from the Kelani River Basin is unsafe and possible to cause gastrointestinal diseases.