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Microorganisms' retention in soil contributes to the natural purification of groundwater. Bacteria found in groundwater are generally of various shapes. The aim of this study was to assess the importance of cell shape and flagella in bacterial retention during polluted water percolation through two soil columns CA and CB, in the equatorial region in Central Africa. Percolation tests were carried out using different water loads samples which were contaminated by Escherichia coli (straight rods, peritrichous flagella), Vibrio parahaemolyticus (rods bacteria, polar flagella), and Staphylococcus saprophyticus (spherical, free-flagellum). It has been noted that showed that through soil column CA, the mean values of cells retention ratios (T(R)) varied with bacteria species considered, and from one applied water load sample to another. E. coli T(R) and that of S. saprophyticus were not significantly different (P> 0.05) for the two soil columns. V. parahaemolyticus T(R) significantly differed from that of E. coli and S. saprophyticus through soil column CA (P< 0.01) when the highest water load was applied, and through soil column CB (P< 0.05) for each of water load applied. A relative hierarchical arrangement of retained cells based on the T(R) showed that V. parahaemolyticus was less retained through the 2 soil columns. S. saprophyticus in most cases was more retained than others. The physical properties of the bacterial cell must be taken into consideration when evaluating the transfer of bacteriological pollutants towards groundwater.

The impact of light (1,000 × 100,000 lx) on the inactivation of S. aureus and V. parahaemolyticus has been assessed under different concentrations of dissolved biodegradable organic compound (BOC) at pH 7.0. First, a gradual decrease in the number of cultivable cells was observed. Secondly, a cell reactivation was observed and it was marked in the absence of BOC. In the absence of BOC, the lowest value of cell inhibition rate (CIR) during the first 3 h was 0.138 h(-1) for S. aureus and 0.218 h(-1) for V. parahaemolyticus. In the presence of 10,100 and 1,000 mg/l of BOC, it was 0.196 h(-1), 0.243 h(-1) and 0.257 h(-1) for S. aureus respectively, and 0.285 h(-1), 0.306 h(-1) and 0.409 h(-1) for V. parahaemolyticus respectively. The CIRs values of each bacterial species significantly varied (P<0.001) with the changes in BOC concentration. In most cases, no significant difference was noted in the CIRs of both species when they were under the same light intensity and BOC. Nevertheless, it seems important to consider the impact of dissolved BOC during the treatment of bacterial polluted water.