ISOLATION, CHARACTERIZATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF MICROBES FROM SHOWER HEAD IN UNIVERSITY OF GONDAR ATSAE TEWODROS CAMPUS, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Shower heads are particularly susceptible to bacteria. They are dark, worm, damp environment-the perfect host for bacteria to grow. A biofilm accumulates inside shower heads are provides a healthy environment for bacteria to grow. Shower usage provides a source for repeated exposure to microbes through aerosolization and/or direct contact. The objective of this study is to isolate, characterize and identify microbes from the biofilm of showerhead. There is little knowledge of either their prevalence or the nature of other microorganisms that may be delivered during shower usage. This study was conducted to explore the composition of the microbial community that resides within the shower head and to give awareness for community to clean their shower heads periodically and taking baths instead of showers whenever possible. The samples were collected by sterile swab sticks from the selected shower heads and preserved in sterilized bottle with normal saline until they reached the laboratory, where the samples were stored in a refrigerator at 4 °C. We followed standard microbiological technique to isolate the microbes from shower heads. The numbers of isolated microbes on PCA were 4.43 log CFU/ml to 6.48 log CFU/ml and 4.51 log CFU/ml to7.48 log CFU/ml on MCA. The predominant microorganisms on shower heads biofilm taken from nine bathrooms included, Staphylococcus aereus, Staphylococcus epidermis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, E. coli, Mycobacterium phlei, Micrococcus luteus, Serratia marcescen, Aspergillus flavin and Aspergillus niger. Water from an untreated shower head contain different opportunistic microbes and can cause different disease.