Identification of enterobacteriaceae in water sample collected from Long Bedian, Sarawak

Enterobacteriaceae is a large family of gram-negative bacteria. The more familiar bacteria in this family are Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Shigella, Klebsiella and Yersinia pestis. This family also consist of disease-causing bacteria such as Proteus, Serratia, Citrobacter and Enterobacter. The infection caused by Enterobacteriaceae can be transmitted through the gastrointestinal tract, urinary tract and also respiratory tract. Long Bedian is a village situated at Baram. There are about 1,500 people living in this village. Besides, there are also tourists who go to Long Bedian for the natural environment all year long. The water from the river is their main source of water for daily living. Thus, the aim of this study is to isolate the bacteria found in the water sample collected from river in Long Bedian. The species of Enterobacteriaceae present in the water sample were identified to study the hazard pose by these Enterobacteriaceae to the public. From the result obtained, there were majority of Enterobacter, Klebsiella, Citrobacter, and Serratia, which are opportunistic pathogen. Therefore, prevention step is suggested in order to secure the health of the people in Long Bedian, Sarawak.