Enterococci in river Ganga surface waters: propensity of species distribution, dissemination of antimicrobial-resistance and virulence-markers among species along landscape.

Background: Surface waters quality has declined in developing countries due to rapid industrialization and population growth. The microbiological quality of river Ganga, a life-sustaining surface water resource for large population of northern India, is adversely affected by several point and non-point sources of pollution. Further, untreated surface waters are consumed for drinking and various household tasks in India making the public vulnerable to water-borne diseases and outbreaks.