Abstract
The occurrence of waterborne parasites coupled with water parameters at various processing sites of two drinking water treatment plants (A and B) and seven distribution system (DS) sites in Sarawak, Malaysia were studied. Ten liters of water underwent immunomagnetic separation (IMS) technique to detect the presence of Giardia and Cryptosporidium (oo)cysts. The remaining supernatant was used to detect other parasites whilst 50 mL of water sample was each used in the detection of free-living amoebae and fecal coliforms. Sampled water was positive for Giardia (32.9%; 28/85), Cryptosporidium (18.8%; 16/85) followed by Spirometra ova-like (25.9%; 22/85), Blastocystis-like (25.9%; 22/85), nematode larvae-like (8.2%; 7/85) and Taenia ova-like (1.2%; 1/85). Meanwhile, 90.2% (55/61) samples were positive for Acanthamoeba and Naegleria via cultivation and of these, 11 isolates were confirmed as Acanthamoeba genotype T3 (5/7) and T4 (2/7) followed by Naegleria sp. (4/11), Naegleria italica (2/11), Naegleria australiensis (1/11), Naegleria angularis (1/11) and Vahlkampfia sp. (3/11). Cryptosporidium, Acanthamoeba and Naegleria were also detected in one of the seven tested DS sites. Only Giardia and Cryptosporidium showed significant correlations with fluoride and fecal coliforms. These results describe the occurrence of waterborne parasites that will assist key stakeholders in mitigating contamination at the specific sites.
Highlights
Safe potable drinking water is vital to human life and its quality is of great public concern, to the consumers, and to water suppliers and authorities
The aim of this study is to determine the occurrence of waterborne parasites (Giardia and Cryptosporidium) and free-living amoebae (Acanthamoeba and Naegleria) in drinking water at various processing sites of two major drinking water treatment plants in Sarawak
The occurrence of parasites detected from various processing sites of the two major drinking water treatment plants (A and B) and distribution system (DS) sites in Sarawak, Malaysia is shown in Subdivision A-1
Summary
Safe potable drinking water is vital to human life and its quality is of great public concern, to the consumers, and to water suppliers and authorities. Numerous studies have been conducted globally to investigate the quality of untreated (lake water) and treated (municipal water) water supplied to the consumers. The supply of safe drinking water is crucial and it requires multiple barriers to prevent the entry and transmission of pathogens. Water supplies are routinely checked to ensure that water is safe for consumption via water treatment processes that include a series of treatment processes (e.g., coagulation, flocculation, clarification through sedimentation, filtration and disinfection) that help in the reduction of microorganisms that pose threat to public health [4]
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