Application of high-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing to identify fecal contamination sources and to complement the detection of fecal indicator bacteria in rural groundwater. | LitMetric
Residents in rural communities across Canada collect potable water from aquifers. Fecal contaminants from sewage and agricultural runoffs can penetrate aquifers, posing a public health risk. Standard methods for detecting fecal contamination test for fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), but the presence of these do not identify sources of contamination. In contrast, DNA-based diagnostic tools can achieve this important objective. We employed quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and high-throughput DNA sequencing to trace fecal contamination sources in Wainfleet, a rural Ontario township that has been under the longest active boil water advisory in Canada due to FIB contamination in groundwater wells. Using traditional methods, we identified FIBs indicating persistent fecal pollution in well waters. We used 16S rRNA sequencing to profile groundwater microbial communities and identified Campylobacteraceae as a fecal contamination DNA marker in septic tank effluents (STEs). We also identified Turicibacter and Gallicola as a potential cow and chicken fecal contamination marker, respectively. Using human specific Bacteroidales markers, we identified leaking septic tanks as the likely primary fecal contamination source in some of Wainfleet's groundwater. Overall, the results support the use of sequencing-based methods to augment traditional water quality testing methods and help end-users assess fecal contamination levels and identify point and non-point pollution sources.
Nowadays, consumption of fish is becoming a public health concern due to quality and safety issues. This study was designed to assess the proximate composition, microbial quality, and heavy metal accumulation in the Nile tilapia fillet at three selected landing sites in Lake Tana. Fifteen samples were collected and analyzed.
Background: Salmonella enterica is a major cause of foodborne illness and mortality worldwide, but its presence in milk along the milk supply chain and associated public health risks are under-studied. This research was aimed to investigate the occurrence and antimicrobial susceptibility of Salmonella enterica in milk, milking environments, milkers' hands, and diarrheic patients in Wolaita Sodo, Ethiopia.
Methods: We collected 644 samples from 106 dairy farms that include direct milk from cow, bulk tank milk, milkers' hand swabs, teat surfaces swabs, farm floors swabs, milk storage containers swabs, collectors' bulk milk, retailers' bulk milk, and stool from diarrheic patients.
Department of Biology, The Parasitology, Geoinformatics, Environment and Health Science research group, Faculty of Science, Udon Thani Rajabhat University, Udon Thani, Thailand.
Background: Environmental contamination with eggs significantly impacts on opisthorchiasis transmission and disease control. This study assessed egg contamination in underwater sediments from canals and aimed to reduce transmission in egg-positive and downstream communities by controlling human opisthorchiasis in endemic area of Northeast Thailand.
Methods: Sediment samples from 14 sites in UdonThani municipality were determined for eggs.
Introduction: is a notorious foodborne pathogen, frequently contaminating powdered infant formula and causing life-threatening diseases in infants. The escalating emergence of antibiotics-resistant mutants has led to increased interest in using bacteriophage as an alternative antimicrobial agent.
Methods: Two phages, CR8 and S13, were isolated from feces and soil samples and their morphology, physiology, and genomics were characterized.
Veterinarian, Laboratório do Grupo de Estudos em Enfermidades Parasitárias, Departamento de Veterinária Preventiva, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
spp. is a flagellated protozoan that parasitizes the small intestine of various mammals, birds, and amphibians, being transmitted via the fecal-oral route. Giardiasis is one of the most prevalent parasitic diseases in both developed and developing countries, with a prevalence of 0,1-5% and 20-30%, respectively, and is correlated with poor hygiene practices, such as irregular handwashing, which consequently contaminates food when handled.
