Fungi from a Groundwater-Fed Drinking Water Supply System in Brazil.

Helena Oliveira,Norma Gusmão,R Paterson,Nelson Lima,Cledir Santos

doi:10.3390/ijerph13030304

Abstract

Filamentous fungi in drinking water distribution systems are known to (a) block water pipes; (b) cause organoleptic biodeterioration; (c) act as pathogens or allergens and (d) cause mycotoxin contamination. Yeasts might also cause problems. This study describes the occurrence of several fungal species in a water distribution system supplied by groundwater in Recife—Pernambuco, Brazil. Water samples were collected from four sampling sites from which fungi were recovered by membrane filtration. The numbers in all sampling sites ranged from 5 to 207 colony forming units (CFU)/100 mL with a mean value of 53 CFU/100 mL. In total, 859 isolates were identified morphologically, with Aspergillus and Penicillium the most representative genera (37% and 25% respectively), followed by Trichoderma and Fusarium (9% each), Curvularia (5%) and finally the species Pestalotiopsis karstenii (2%). Ramichloridium and Leptodontium were isolated and are black yeasts, a group that include emergent pathogens. The drinking water system in Recife may play a role in fungal dissemination, including opportunistic pathogens.

Highlights

IntroductionFungi in water distribution systems are well known and have gained importance recently [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15].It is unsurprising that fungi are isolated from the surface or underground raw water in reservoirs and distribution systems [8,16,17,18] since they are found in almost every environmental niche
The present results show A. fumigatus appeared in three important sampling sites: treatment plant (TP), university restaurant (UR) and university hospital (UH)
Fungi occurred in all the reservoirs examined and often at high concentrations

Summary

Introduction

Fungi in water distribution systems are well known and have gained importance recently [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15].It is unsurprising that fungi are isolated from the surface or underground raw water in reservoirs and distribution systems [8,16,17,18] since they are found in almost every environmental niche. Fungi in water distribution systems are well known and have gained importance recently [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15]. Fungal contamination of water has major implications for hospitals and health institutions, with high concerns for immunocompromised individuals [10,15,19]. None of these authors has reported large water-borne mycotic outbreaks affecting consumers of water, intense allergic responses from fungi in water have been recorded [15]. Apart from these, the lack of information on rapid poisonings or diseases of humans or other animals, associated with fungal occurrence in drinking water can be attributed to a lack of prolonged, systematic studies [6]

Methods

Results

Conclusion