​METHOD

•Collected water samples from 15+ fountains and taps

•Cultured samples on agar plates to assess microbial growth

•Identified organisms using colony morphology and biochemical markers

•Screened samples for antibiotic resistance genes

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KEY FINDINGS

•>70% of fountains contained opportunistic microbes (Candida, Morganella, Serratia)

•>60% of samples tested positive for antibiotic resistance genes (VanM, SUL1)

•Fountains showed higher microbial load than taps at the same locations.

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​These results indicate that drinking fountains act as microbial accumulation points within building plumbing systems, likely due to stagnation and biofilm formation.

 

The presence of antibiotic resistance genes suggests a potential pathway for resistance exposure in public environments, which is not addressed by conventional fountain filtration.

 

Because public fountains are used repeatedly by large populations, even low-level contamination may pose cumulative exposure risks, particularly for immunocompromised individuals.