Abstract
Abstract Ascaris lumbricoides is the most common helminth of human health importance, and the most resilient helminth found in faecal sludge. There are numerous types of sludge treatments; however, heating and drying are most commonly used for pathogen inactivation. Ascaris suum eggs were heated in a water bath at 40–55 °C for 10 seconds to 60 minutes in water, as well as heated in both urine diversion dry toilet and ventilated improved pit latrine sludge at 40 °C, 60 °C and 80 °C for times ranging from 5 seconds to 120 minutes. Eggs were also spiked into sludges of different moisture contents and incubated over 12 weeks at 25 °C, with samples analysed weekly. Overall, we concluded that eggs were inactivated at temperatures >50 °C, that the temperature–time relationship directly impacted the efficacy of heat treatment, that suspension medium had no effect, and that eggs survived better in wet rather than dry sludges.
Highlights
2.3 billion people globally lack access to basic sanitation facilities and one-third of the world’s population is infected with soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) (JMP ; Cooper & Hollingsworth )
The findings from this study indicate that drying sludge to a low moisture content creates unfavourable conditions for egg survival and development
This study was aimed at determining the effects of low temperatures, suspension medium and storage conditions on Ascaris eggs
Summary
2.3 billion people globally lack access to basic sanitation facilities and one-third of the world’s population is infected with soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) (JMP ; Cooper & Hollingsworth ). Known as the human roundworm, is the most common STH of human health importance (Brownell & Nelson ). Infection with A. lumbricoides is most prominent in areas that lack a potable source of water, improved sanitation and proper hygiene practices, with an estimated 804 million people infected worldwide (Jourdan et al ). Ascaris eggs can withstand harsh environmental conditions and are considered the most resilient organisms found in faecal sludge, as they are able to survive for up to seven years in the soil (Pecson & Nelson ). Ascaris spp. eggs are commonly used as indicator organisms of faecal contamination and for inactivation experiments (Maya et al )
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