Estudio microbiológico de las aguas termales del balneario El Cachaco ubicado en la parroquia Calacalí de la provincia de Pichincha.

Abstract

External factors can change the physical-chemical properties to the thermal water and its microbiological quality, the present microbiological study was carried out in samples of thermal water of the El Cachaco Spa of the Calacalí parish of Pichincha province, with the objective of determining the autochthonous and allochthonous microbiota that these waters possess and their profile of resistance to several antibiotics. A physical-chemical analysis was carried out in which the temperature and pH were determined and a microbiological analysis was carried out by the sowing in the Petrifilm plates for mesophilic aerobes, Escherichia coli and coliforms, Staphylococcus aureus, molds and yeasts, and in blue eosin agars of methylene and salty mannitol, then a colonies count was done, macroscopic description and selection of the most representative, to obtain pure bacterial clones was used the method of sowing by depletion and peal on Mueller Hinton agar, bacterial identification was affected by staining Gram and biochemical tests, the antibiogram was performed using the agar diffusion method. The thermal waters were classified as hypothermal and neutral; there was absence of Escherichia coli and predominance of Gram positive coccus. The 25 identified isolated bacterial corresponded to the species Micrococcus luteus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus viridans, Streptococcus agalactiae, Staphylococcus saprophyticus and the gender Corynebacterium, Campylobacter and Pseudomonas. In relation to the antibiogram, all Gram positive coccus were sensitive to gentamicin, imipenem and ciprofloxacin, Gram positive bacillus were sensitive in addition to the antibiotics mentioned to kanamycin, all Gram negative bacillus were sensitive to imipenem and ciprofloxacin. In conclusion, thermal water does not represent a serious health risk for users; however, measures should be taken to reduce thermal water contamination and to carry out frequent microbiological studies to guarantee its sanitary quality.