Isolation of microbial community and physicochemical assessment of the seawater

Abstract

This study explores the microbial diversity of seawater to assess its microbiological quality and evaluate its suitability for public use. Understanding the composition of seawater is essential for identifying ecological dynamics and potential health risks. Key physicochemical parameters such as pH, temperature, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, and salinity were analyzed, all aligning with established seawater standards. These parameters offer insights into oceanic processes and climatic patterns. Microbial isolation was conducted using a range of agar media to identify and characterize bacterial species and their metabolic traits. Nutrient agar revealed multiple colony morphologies, indicating the presence of diverse bacterial populations. Eosin Methylene Blue agar facilitated the detection of non-lactose fermenting gram-negative bacteria, while MacConkey agar showed no growth, suggesting the absence of lactose fermenting gram-negative strains. Additional use of urea agar and mannitol salt agar enabled the identification of urease-producing bacteria and Staphylococci species. The findings provide valuable baseline data on microbial presence in seawater, contributing to enhanced understanding of marine microbial ecology and supporting initiatives in environmental monitoring and public health safeguarding.

Keywords: Environmental monitoring; marine microbiology; microbial diversity; public health; seawater quality.