Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2020) 9(10): 3635-3643 3635 Original Research Article https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2020.910.421 Occurrence of Salmonella Species and other Bacterial Pathogens in Some Water Supplies of Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State, Nigeria Austin A. Okwelle* Department of Biological Sciences (Microbiology Unit), Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences Rumuolumeni, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria *Corresponding author ABSTRACT Introduction The genus Salmonella is one of the most common pathogens usually isolated from water and food-producing animals that are the cause of zoonotic infections in humans and animal species. Thus, Salmonella infections are one of the major concerns to human health, animals, and the food industry all over the world. According to (Jajere, 2019), Salmonella enterica species is the most pathogenic specie in the genus with close to 2,600 serovars that have been already characterized Amongst all these serovars, the Salmonella enterica serovars Typhi, Paratyphi A, Paratyphi B, and Paratyphi C can be collectively called Typhoidal Salmonella, whereas the other serovars are grouped as This research work investigated the occurrence of Salmonella pathogens in some water sources from Port Harcourt metropolis, Rivers State, Nigeria. Six different water samples, two each from each of the three selected water sources (Borehole, River and Well water) collected from Timber water side River and Choba River; two different wells located in Rumuolumeni, and two different boreholes located in Port Harcourt and were collected and evaluated for percentage occurrence of Salmonella species and other waterborne pathogens. The total heterotrophic count was very high ranging from 2.91xl0 9 cfu/ml in River water to1.5 x 10 11 cfu/ml in borehole water, while the Salmonella count ranged between 1.3x10 3 and 2.9x10 3 cfu/ml for all the water samples. A total of eight different organisms were identified from a combination of results from the colonial morphological and biochemical tests of fifteen suspected isolates. Five out of the fifteen (15) isolates (WS01, 06, 07, 08 and 14) were identified as Shigella; Salmonella two isolates (WS05 and 10); Vibrio (WS09), Proteus (WS13), Escherichia (WSQ2), Enterobacter (WS04), Klebsiella (WS13) The water samples were analysed using standard microbiological methods. The result showed that all the water samples evaluated contained more than the recommended level of bacteria for drinking water. The presence of these organisms in the water samples reveals that the water sources were faecally contaminated and not suitable for public use. Keywords Salmonella sps, Bacterial Pathogens, Water supplies Accepted: 26 September 2020 Available Online: 10 October 2020 Article Info International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 9 Number 10 (2020) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com