Fish is a major source of protein worldwide, and many communities living in riverine areas depend heavily on fish and aquatic resources for their livelihood and nutrition. Fresh fish is easily digested and possesses high nutritional value; however, it is susceptible to contamination by bacterial pathogens such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio species, Clostridium species, Salmonella species and others, which are associated with diseases like food poisoning, cholera, typhoid fever and urinary tract infections. These microorganisms are often present when water bodies become contaminated with faecal materials. Poor sanitary practices, therefore, pose a serious public health concern, as sewage discharge and other domestic pollutants introduced into water bodies may contaminate aquatic ecosystems with bacterial pathogens. In this investigation, bacterial pathogens including Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Vibrio species, Salmonella species and Pseudomonas species were isolated from fresh fish samples collected from a riverine water body using Nutrient agar, MacConkey agar, Thiosulfate Citrate Bile Salt Sucrose agar (TCBS), Salmonella–Shigella agar and CHROMagar Orientation. The findings revealed a high level of faecal contamination in the fresh fish obtained from the riverine environment. The physicochemical parameters of the water analysed showed that the pH (6.22) was slightly lower than the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended value, while turbidity (9.97 NTU) was considerably higher than the WHO standard. Furthermore, the heavy metals detected at notable concentrations were iron and magnesium. These findings indicate potential environmental contamination and associated public health risks in riverine aquatic environments. Therefore, improved sanitary practices should be encouraged, fresh fish should be properly processed before consumption, and sanitation facilities such as toilets should not be located close to water bodies in order to prevent contamination.
