Swimming pools have been identified as posing some public health risks to users
due to either bacterial or chemical contamination. As a result, maintaining good
swimming pool water quality is an important issue in preventing health risks for
bathers. This study aimed to evaluate the bacteriological quality of some
swimming pools in Alexandria and to investigate the prevalence of Staphylococcus
aureus (S. aureus) in water samples. A total of 120 water samples from 10
swimming pools were collected. Bacteriological analysis included heterotrophic
plate count (HPC) using pour plate method; enumeration of total coliforms (TC),
Escherichia coli (E. coli) and S. aureus by membrane filtration technique.
Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed on isolated S. aureus.
Residual chlorine and pH were measured at swimming pools side. HPC was the least
complying microbial parameter, followed by TC. S. aureus was recovered from 18
samples; 9 isolates were methicillin resistant S.aureus (MRSA), compared to E.
coli that was detected in 7 samples. HPC and TC showed statistically significant
correlations with all investigated parameters. In conclusion, the examined pools
showed poor quality regarding all examined parameters collectively according to
the Egyptian guidelines, which necessitates implementation of proper measures to
ensure safer environment in swimming pools.