Bacteriological Quality and Occurrence of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa in Swimming Pools of Hotel and Recreational Facilities in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Swimming pools constitute important recreational infrastructures, but may serve as reservoirs of pathogenic microorganisms when poorly managed.This study evaluated the prevalence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and assessed the bacteriological and physicochemical quality of swimming pools in hotel facilities and recreational centres in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.A cross-sectional study was conducted on twelve swimming pools (six hotels and six recreational facilities).Physicochemical parameters (temperature and pH) were measured in situ, while bacteriological quality was assessed using total heterotrophic bacterial counts (THBC) via the pour plate technique.Bacterial isolates were identified using standard morphological and biochemical tests, and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns were determined using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method.Water temperatures ranged from 28.5-32.4°C (mean: 29.9 ± 1.2 °C), while pH ranged from 7.2-8.9(mean: 7.9 ± 0.6), with no significant difference between hotel and recreational pools (p > 0.05).THBC values ranged from 6.0 × 10¹ to 5.3 × 10⁴ CFU/mL, with recreational pools showing higher mean counts than hotel pools, though the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.32).Only 42 % of pools complied with the WHO-recommended limit ( 0.2), with marked resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics but high susceptibility to fluoroquinolones.Pseudomonas aeruginosa was not detected in any sample (0 % prevalence), possibly reflecting effective chlorination practices.Despite the absence of P. aeruginosa, the presence of other pathogenic and multidrug-resistant bacteria highlights significant public health concerns and underscores the need for improved pool water management and routine microbiological surveillance.