Extent Of Fecal Contamination Research Articles

The Impacts of Piped Water on Water Quality, Sanitation, Hygiene and Health in Rural Households of North-Western Bangladesh - A Quasi-Experimental Analysis

We investigated the impacts of piped water on water quality, sanitation, hygiene and health outcomes in marginalized rural households of north-western Bangladesh using a quasi-experimental analysis. A government organization – the Barindra Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) – established a piped water network to provide these rural households with improved water as they have poor access to potable water. Using propensity score matching, the study compares a treatment and a control group of households to identify gains in water-sanitation, hygiene and health outcomes. We found that the BMDA piped water infrastructure had a positive impact on access to improved water and significantly reduced the distance traveled for and time spent on collecting drinking water. However, we found no improvement in the drinking water quality, which was measured by the extent of fecal contamination (E. coli count per 100 ml of water) at the point of use. The hygiene status of food utensils also did not show any improvement; food utensils were tested positive for E. coli in both the control and treatment group. Although access to BMDA piped water in the premises involves cost, it didn’t improve hygiene behavior: handwashing with soap after defecation and before feeding children. The treated households own larger water containers which implies that the intervention has had a clear impact on the quantity of water used for household purposes. However, we did not find evidence of health benefits, such as decreased diarrhea incidence of in under-five children, improved child anthropometrics stunting, underweight and wasting of children due to piped water use.

Field and modelling studies of Escherichia coli loads in tropical streams of montane agro-ecosystems

The extent of faecal contamination in soils and water is still poorly known in rural tropical areas despite its important consequences on both human health and the economy. Here we explore the sources, pathways, and spatio-temporal dynamic of contamination in rivers of a rural tropical area at different spatial and temporal scales. Concentrations of Escherichia coli (E. coli), a faecal indicator bacteria (FIB), were measured in the Nam Khan river, tributary of the Mekong river (North Lao PDR). Measurements were made from the headwaters to the main stream under contrasted hydrological conditions (i.e. during base flow and stormflow) and during the wet and dry seasons in 2011. The results show that E. coli contamination is controlled by both land use (i.e. stock of bacteria brought to the soil surface by the faeces of human and livestock) and hydrology (i.e. contribution of overland flow to the river discharge). Direct point-source contamination is of minor importance in this rural watershed, however, during high discharge the concentration of FIB frequently exceeds 5000 MPN 100 mL−1. The E. coli module of the Seneque/Riverstrahler model was adapted to the context of the Nam Khan river, validated with field observations and used to analyse future scenarios of faecal contamination (changing demographic trends and improvements in wastewater management). We found that the risk of worsening FIB contamination was more related to the predicted future rural exodus and to wastewater management practices rather than to an increase in demographic pressure in these upland systems.

Extent of Escherichia coli Contamination of Cagayan de Oro River and Factors Causing Contamination: A Translational Research in Southern Philippines

The study determined the extent of fecal contamination of Cagayan de Oro River stretching along the nine (9) river barangays. Sampling sites covered the upstream, midstream, and downstream areas. The Multiple Tube Fermentation Technique (MTFT) was used to identify the presence of total coliform, fecal coliform, and Escherichia coli in the water samples. The average coliform values obtained from all the sampling sites exceeded the acceptable values (1000 fecal coliform organisms/100ml) set by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Temporal variability is a critical differentiating factor in the concentrations of total coliform across sampling areas. The spread of coliform was similar in the three sections of the river. The anthropogenic factors that contribute to E. coli and coliform contamination include the absence of toilets in 61.2% of the respondents; presence of 29.2% of toilets draining into the river; 34% of respondents having domestic animals with manure going to the river; and presence of the same contaminants in the tributaries of the river. There is evidence that the University based translational research is effective in greater utilization of research findings: in increasing community awareness; enriching content for instruction; enhancing pedagogy of biodiversity education, generating local legislation on river conservation; and, promoting biodiversity research in higher education. Keywords : Fecal contamination, E. coli , river quality, human and animal wastes, translational research

A Cross-Sectional Study on the Extent of Fecal Contamination of Cagayan De Oro River along Five Urban Barangays and the Factors Affecting Contamination, October 2007 - January 2008

A Cross-Sectional Study on the Extent of Fecal Contamination of Cagayan De Oro River along Five Urban Barangays and the Factors Affecting Contamination, October 2007 - January 2008

Environmental factors influencing the microbiological contamination of commercially harvested shellfish

Filter-feeding bivalve molluscs (such as oysters, clams, mussels and cockles) can concentrate contaminants from the water column. The extent of faecal contamination in shellfish is usually estimated by determining the concentration of faecal coliforms and/or Escherichia coli. Three sample points in each of three geographically separate commercial shellfisheries were selected for analysis for the effect of season, spring/neap and high/low tidal cycles, rainfall and wind direction on the results of routine E. coli monitoring. General linear modelling was used for the analyses. The principle factors affecting the contamination of shellfisheries were season, high/low tidal cycle and rainfall. The effects varied between harvesting areas and between individual sampling points within harvesting areas. Undertaking such analyses for all harvesting areas would contribute to the management of monitoring programmes and assist in the evaluation of potentially contaminating sources, such as sewage discharges. The type of analyses undertaken on E. coli monitoring data would also be pertinent for the analysis of putative viral indicators, such as F+ coliphage, and could be extended to data on bacterial and viral pathogens.

Further Evaluation of Colostomy in Penetrating Colon Injury

Our objective was to compare, in a randomized prospective format, complication rates associated with primary repair versus fecal diversion in penetrating colon injury. During a 72-month period, 181 patients with penetrating colon injuries were entered in a randomized prospective study at an urban Level I trauma center. After intraoperative identification of colon injuries, patients were randomized to a primary repair or a diversion group. Randomization was independent of previously identified risk factors, including severity of colon injury, presence of hypotension, blood loss, extent of fecal contamination, and time from injury to operation. Five patients initially entered in the study protocol were removed because they died in the immediate postoperative period (< 24 hours). One hundred seventy-six patients were studied, of which 89 were randomized to primary repair and 87 to diversion. The average age in the diversion group was 26.4 years and it was 28.0 years in the primary repair group (P > 0.05). The average Penetrating Abdominal Trauma Index for the diversion group was 22.3, and it was 23.7 for the primary repair group (P > 0.05). There were 18 (21%) septic related complications in the diversion group and 16 (18%) in the primary repair group (P > .05). With respect to risk factors, complication rates were not higher in one study group versus the other. We conclude that, in the civilian population, all penetrating colon injuries should be managed with primary repair.

Effect of Sediment Particle Size and Temperature on Fecal Bacteria Mortality Rates and the Fecal Coliform/Fecal Streptococci Ratio

Extended survival of fecal bacteria in sediment can obscure the source and extent of fecal contamination in agricultural settings. The variability in fecal coliform/fecal streptococci (FC/FS) ratios with time and discrepancies between observable fecal sources and measured FC/FS ratios in shallow surface water from agricultural watersheds may be explained by examining FC and FS mortality rates in response to ambient temperature and sediment particle size. We measured FC and FS mortality rates at three different temperatures and in three feces-amended sediments with different particle size in a laboratory study. In controlled conditions, using physiological saline to reduce cell death by osmotic shock, FC mortality rates exceeded FS mortality rates. These rates declined as sediment particle-size shrank and as temperature decreased. There was no interaction between these two factors in determining fecal bacteria persistence. The apparent half-lives of FCs exceeded those of FS, even though mortality rates were higher, because of FC regrowth shortly after deposition. The FC/FS ratio is influenced by temperature, the presence of sediment, and sediment particle size. In warm conditions, FC regrowth increases FC/FS ratios to levels indicative of human contamination even where none clearly exists. These factors interfere with the interpretation of the FC/FS ratio and contribute to the difficulty of its use in agricultural settings.