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Environmental and chemical determinants of contamination and survival of Vibrio cholerae in water sources in Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

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Submitted   May 13, 2024
Published   Jul 22, 2024
Issue    Vol 5 No 1 (2024)
DOI   10.25082/HE.2024.01.002

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Albert M. Mumbumbu
Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Catholic University of Bukavu, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Zacharie K. Tsongo
Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kisangani, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Etienne A. Shindano
Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kindu, Kindu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Théophile B. Kabesha
Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Official University of Bukavu, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Stanis O. Wembonyama corresponding author
Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lubumbashi, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Abstract

Introduction: Cholera is endemo-epidemic in Bukavu. The aim of the study was to assess the environmental determinants of permanent contamination of spring and well water and to evaluate some of the chemical factors responsible for the persistence of Vibrio cholerae in water consumed by cholera patients.
Methods: Conducted in the Bukavu health district from September 2020 to September 2021, this was a cross-sectional. The potential of hydrogen (pH) of the water was evaluated before comparing it with the survival of Vibrio cholerae. A total of 641 latrines, 92 water sources, and wells were surveyed, with 298 samples analyzed in the laboratory.
Results: Out of the 641 latrines surveyed, 367 (57%) were found to be unsanitary; 54 (59%) of the water sources and wells were also deemed unsanitary. In total, 57% of the water samples were found to contain Vibrio cholerae, with 90% exhibiting an alkaline pH, of which 54% tested positive for the bacteria. Conversely, 10% of the samples had an acidic pH, with 80% of those containing Vibrio cholerae. The pH levels of the water remained alkaline both during the epidemic (95%) and post-epidemic (84%), thereby favoring the survival of Vibrio cholerae serotypes Ogawa and Inaba in these water sources. An acidic pH was observed to increase the likelihood of Vibrio cholerae survival in these waters by a factor of 3.39.
Conclusion: Spring and well water are consistently contaminated with Vibrio cholerae due to the unsanitary conditions of nearby latrines. The presence of Vibrio cholerae serotypes Inaba and Ogawa in these water sources is further influenced by the alkaline and acidic pH levels.

Keywords
contamination, Vibrio cholerae, endemic, Bukavu

Article Details

How to Cite
Mumbumbu, A. M., Tsongo, Z. K., Shindano, E. A., Kabesha, T. B., & Wembonyama, S. O. (2024). Environmental and chemical determinants of contamination and survival of Vibrio cholerae in water sources in Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Health and Environment, 5(1), 246-255. https://doi.org/10.25082/HE.2024.01.002
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

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