Survey and Microbiological risk assessment of "AIN-CHEBBI-Tahabort" spring water in Southern Algeria

In this study, we conducted a survey to investigate the consumption of natural sparkling mineral water from a spring called AIN-CHEBBI-Tahabort” that located 15km away from Tamanrasset city and renowned for its medicinal properties. Additionally, we examined the spatiotemporal evolution of microbial growth, assessed the hygienic quality, and determined the genomic DNA concentration in the “AIN-CHEBBI-Tahabort” spring water.
Our research was focused on the variation of the Revivable Aerobic Mesophilic Microflora "RAMF” that was performed during three months storage at 04°C. The RAMF log10CFU/mL ranging from 1.66log10CFU/mL to 5.07log10CFU/mL. Besides, the recorded pH values of the water samples increase from 5.63 to 7.99 at room temperature during 16 days on July 2020 which is part of the hot and humid season in Tamanrasset region. Escherichia coli recognized as fecal contamination indicator, as well as Shigella flexneri species known as pathogenic bacteria were detected at high load 3.09log10CFU/mL and 3.32log10CFU/mL respectively. In fact, the water spring of "AIN-CHEBBI-Tahabort" can pose a significant risk to human health if it consumed without proper treatment. Drinking water contaminated with fecal matter can lead to various illnesses and infectons, which can be particularly harmful for individuals with weakened immune systems or certain health conditions. Additionally, we observed the presence of thermotolerant spores, belonging specifically to the species Bacillus subtilis. Moreover, our findings suggest the potential existence of hyper-thermophilic species. This hypothesis is supported by the presence of genomic DNA extracted from autoclaved samples of “AIN-CHEBBI-Tahabort” spring water, with concentrations ranging from 23.00 µg/ml to 57.50 µg/ml. These results support the presence of non-cultivable microorganisms in the spring water of “AIN-CHEBBI-Tahabort”.