Bacterial Diversity of Gastrointestinal Tract from Individuals in Hydrocarbon Impacted Ogoni Communities in Rivers States, Nigeria

Background: The Niger Delta region of Nigeria is popularly known for its huge deposit of crude oil which during explorative activities has led to the pollution of soil and water bodies of nearby coastal regions such as Ogoni.

Aim: This study aimed to assess the bacterial diversity of the GIT of induvial living in hydrocarbon-impacted Ogoni communities.

Methods: Eighty (80) stool samples were collected as case subjects (people living in hydrocarbon-impacted Ogoni communities). Twenty (20) subjects were collected as control samples (people living in Ikenga Ogidi in Idemili North LGAs of Anambra State Nigeria which is a non-hydrocarbon- impacted region). These samples were cultured and analyzed for genomic studies using standard procedures, antimicrobial profiling was done using standard antibiotic disc, the resistant and virulent genes were also assessed using the thermal cycler PCR techniques.

Results: The phylogenic analyses of the 16S rRNA for case and control subjects review the isolates within the Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Providencia, Morganella, Proteus, and Lysinibacibacillus mecroides, Commamonas thiooxydans, Proteus mirabilis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Enterobacter asburiae respectively. Antibiotic resistance profiling reviewed resistance to the following antibiotic AZN (43%), CIP (11%), EPT (20%), CT (47%), IPM (11%), CN (40%), NOR (11%), CTX (94%), and AZN (0%), CIP (40%), EPT (20%), CT (80%), IPM10%, CN20%, NOR (70%,) CTX (70%) for case and control subjects respectively. The prevalence of resistance genes were CTX (56%), SHV (28%), TEM (28%) for case subjects. The virulence genes, Stx1 had (16%), Adhesin (40%), Stx (10%) and Adhesin (20%) for case and control respectively. No resistance genes were found in the control while more virulence genes were found in the case than the control subjects.

Conclusion: These finding revealed that individual living in hydrocarbon impacted Ogoni communities harbor resistance genes that could pose great risk to their health.