doi: 10.18178/ijesd.2025.16.6.1553
Bacterial Contamination on Beaches by Contaminated Effluents and Its Effect on Public Health: A Case Study in La Libertad, Peru
Luis A. Cabanillas-Chirinos1,2,*
,
Karen Diaz del Aguila2 ,
Yanina Rey-Vilela2,3 ,
Vicky S. Mariños-Lozada2,3
- 1Institutos y Centros de Investigación, Universidad Cesar Vallejo, Trujillo, Peru
- 2Grupo de Investigación en Resistencia Bacteriana y Aplicación Biotecnológica de los Microorganismos, Cesar Vallejo University, Trujillo, Peru
- 3Faculty of Health Sciences, Cesar Vallejo University, Trujillo, Peru
- Manuscript receivedMarch 28, 2025
- revisedMay 30, 2025
- acceptedJune 18, 2025
- publishedNovember 21, 2025
Abstract
Beaches have become very popular touristdestinations for both local and international visitors. However,the bacterial contamination they suffer from constitutes anenvironmental and public health issue that affects numerouscoastal communities worldwide. This study aims to investigateand understand the dynamics of bacterial contamination inbeaches due to contaminated effluents. A total of twentysamples were collected from four selected sites (P1:contaminated river, P2: mixing zone, P3 and P4: one kilometerto the left and right of the mixing zone) in the district of VíctorLarco, La Libertad, between October and December 2024.Standardized microbiological techniques and procedures, alongwith the Vitek2 system, were used to identify bacterial groupsand species. The results indicated high levels of microbiologicalcontamination, with elevated concentrations of thermotolerantcoliforms and Escherichia coli, making the area unsuitable forrecreational use. E. coli was the most prevalent bacterium,alongside <em>Enterococcus faecalis, Enterobacter cloacae,Enterobacter aerogenes</em>, and <em>Proteus mirabilis</em>. Furthermore, itwas found that 3 of the 20 strains of E. coli showed higherresistance to Ampicillin (AMP), Ceftriaxone (CRO),Ciprofloxacin (CIP), and Gentamicin (GEN), while all otherstrains of E. coli, E. faecalis, E. cloacae, E. aerogenes, and P.mirabilis were sensitive to the 11 antibiotics evaluated. Theresearch concludes that the discharge of wastewater in coastalareas and exposure to contaminated waters can cause infectionsand diseases in swimmers, especially during the high summerseason when the influx of people to beaches is higher.
Keywords
- wastewater
- antibiotic resistance
- coastal contamination
- public health
How to Cite
Luis A. Cabanillas-Chirinos, Karen Diaz del Aguila, Yanina Rey-Vilela, and Vicky S. Mariños-Lozada, "Bacterial Contamination on Beaches by Contaminated Effluents and Its Effect on Public Health: A Case Study in La Libertad, Peru," International Journal of Environmental Science and Development, vol. 16, no. 6, pp. 445-451, 2025. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijesd.2025.16.6.1553
Copyright & License
Copyright © 2025 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).