Fecal Waste Research Articles

Potential of Rural Biogas from Cow Fecal Waste and Implementation of Sociopreneurship-Based Energy-Independent Village

The energy crisis is a crucial problem as evidenced by data from Indonesia Outlook Energy which states that 88% of the total electricity is comes from fossil fuels whose reserves continue to decline. This encourages the government to suppress the use of fossil fuels and look for alternative renewable energy sources. Indonesia has a promising livestock sector but its utilization is still not optimal. One of those is cow fecal waste that generally has been used as potential biogas. It is necessary to have a program to optimize the utilization of cow feces as biogas in villages and integrate it with the sociopreneurship-based energy-concept independent village. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the potential of cow fecal waste as an alternative energy source based on community conditions, analyze the implementation of energy-concept independent village, sociopreneurship basis and the financial aspects of the program, as well as implementation strategy and sustainability of the program to achieve SDGs target. The research was conducted using data collection methods, data processing, and data analysis. Energy-independent village is able to occupy its energy consumption by optimizing the potential from indigenous product. This program integrates a supporting system consisting of a Special Team, cow farmers, ROFES (House of Feces), and GUBAS (Village Biogas Warehouse). The implementation of this research program includes pre-production, production, and post-production stages. This program is expected to be able to contribute to fulfill the energy needs of the village by optimizing cow fecal waste and supporting the SDG's targets.

Quality of Water Sources, Sanitation, and Hygiene in Households with Stunted Children in Rural and Urban Areas in West Java

Background: The quality of water sources, sanitation, and hygiene have long been associated with the incidence of stunting in a household. Various studies show that this is also influenced by differences in access to water, sanitation, and hygiene in rural and urban areas. Objectives: This study aims to determine the condition of the quality of water sources, sanitation, and hygiene in household with stunted children under five in rural and urban areas. Methods: The study was conducted in June 2022 using cross-sectional method to 96 household with stunted children under five that were selected by systematic random sampling in Cianjur District and Sukabumi City. Structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Descriptive analysis and bivariate analysis were conducted to determine the distribution of use of water sources, sanitation facilities, and hygiene practices in household with stunted children under five based on the categories of improved sanitation facilities and drinking-water sources by World Health Organization and its differences in rural and urban areas. Results: The sources of drinking and cooking water used by the household with stunted children under five have been entirely improved sources. Most of the households in both areas had defecation facilities used only by household members. There were significant differences in the type of fecal waste disposal in household with stunted children under five in rural and urban areas. Majority of households in rural area (70.0%) already used septic tank for fecal waste disposal while majority of households in urban area (65.2%) disposed their fecal waste to river/lake/sea. Mothers’ handwashing practice at critical time were all above 80%, but only 33.6% of the households had separate handwashing facility and only 50.0% of them provide soap for handwashing. Conclusions: Based on the results, it is known that household with stunted children in rural and urban areas have used proper drinking water sources and have good hygiene practices. However, fecal disposal facilities in urban areas with high prevalence of stunting need to be improved as an effort to reduce stunting prevalence.

PENGARUH PEMBERIAN FESES SAPI TERFERMENTASI TERHADAP NILAI EKONOMI AYAM KUB BETINA FASE PERTUMBUHAN SEBELUM PUBERTAS (The effect of feeding fermented cow feces in ration against the economic value of female KUB chicken in the growth phase before puberty)

An alternative effort that can increase feed efficiency is the use of fermented fecal waste, which is relatively inexpensive to substitute for commercial rations in order to reduce production costs. This study aims to determine the effect of the use of fermented cow feces in the ration on the economic value of female KUB chickens in the growth phase before puberty.The material used is 64 female KUB chickens aged 8 weeks to 16 weeks. This study used a Completely Rendomized Design (RAL) with four treatments and four replicates with each repeat consisting of 4 Female KUB chickens. The treatments offered were: R0: basal ration 100%, R1: basal ration 90%+fermented beef feces10%, R2: basal ration 80%+fermented cow feces 20%, and R3: basal ration 70%+termented cow's feces30%. The parameters measured were business productivity, IOFC, economic efficiency (EE) and BEP. The results showed that empirically the addition of faeces treatment was able to reduce costs (R1, R2 and R3), reduce revenue and income (R2 and R3), improve EE, production BEP and price BEP, but was unable to improve R/C and IOFC. Research conclusions: 1) The addition of fermented cow feces to commercial feed has an effect on feed costs, revenue, income, economic efficiency and BEP; while for R/C and IOFC no effect; and 2) The optimal level of substitution of fermented cow feces for increasing the economic value of female KUB chickens in the growth phase is the ration containing 10% fermented cow feces. Suggestions for KUB chicken farmers can use fermented cow feces substitution as much as 10% because it can reduce total costs, EE, production BEP and BEP prices significantly; but at the same time being able to maintain revenue, revenue, R/C, and IOFC.

Community Perception of Waste Pollution from Bolu Animal Market in Indonesia

The existence of the Bolu animal market, Indonesia is not only a source of local revenue from market levies, but also a tourist attraction for both domestic and foreign tourists so that the animal market needs to be managed including the waste produced from livestock that is marketed. This study aimed to determine public perceptions of waste pollution from the Bolu Animal Market, North Toraja Regency, South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. This research was conducted from May 2022 to July 2022. The type of research used was descriptive research. The number of samples used in this study was 22 respondents using the purposive sampling method or those chosen intentionally. The data collection methods used were observation and interviews. The analysis of the data used was descriptive. Based on the results of the study, the perception of the community around the Bolu Animal Market shows that the average community is disturbed due to waste from the animal market in terms of air pollution and fecal waste that has not been appropriately managed, which can interfere with public health.

Longitudinal metatranscriptomic sequencing of Southern California wastewater representing 16 million people from August 2020–21 reveals widespread transcription of antibiotic resistance genes

Municipal wastewater provides a representative sample of human fecal waste across a catchment area and contains a wide diversity of microbes. Sequencing wastewater samples provides information about human-associated and medically important microbial populations, and may be useful to assay disease prevalence and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).Here, we present a study in which we used untargeted metatranscriptomic sequencing on RNA extracted from 275 sewage influent samples obtained from eight wastewater treatment plants (WTPs) representing approximately 16 million people in Southern California between August 2020 – August 2021. We characterized bacterial and viral transcripts, assessed metabolic pathway activity, and identified over 2,000 AMR genes/variants across all samples. Because we did not deplete ribosomal RNA, we have a unique window into AMR carried as ribosomal mutants. We show that AMR diversity varied between WTPs (as measured through PERMANOVA, P < 0.001) and that the relative abundance of many individual AMR genes/variants increased over time (as measured with MaAsLin2, Padj < 0.05). Similarly, we detected transcripts mapping to human pathogenic bacteria and viruses suggesting RNA sequencing is a powerful tool for wastewater-based epidemiology and that there are geographical signatures to microbial transcription. We captured the transcription of gene pathways common to bacterial cell processes, including central carbon metabolism, nucleotide synthesis/salvage, and amino acid biosynthesis. We also posit that due to the ubiquity of many viruses and bacteria in wastewater, new biological targets for microbial water quality assessment can be developed.To the best of our knowledge, our study provides the most complete longitudinal metatranscriptomic analysis of a large population's wastewater to date and demonstrates our ability to monitor the presence and activity of microbes in complex samples. By sequencing RNA, we can track the relative abundance of expressed AMR genes/variants and metabolic pathways, increasing our understanding of AMR activity across large human populations and sewer sheds.

Spread of flushing-generated fecal aerosols in a squat toilet cubicle: Implication for infection risk

Toilet flushing generates and spread fecal aerosols, potentially leading to infection transmission risk. Squat toilets are widely used in public restrooms in some Asian countries including China and India, and remain to be studied. Aerosol dispersion while flushing squat toilet in cubicle was visualized, while the aerosol concentrations were measured on different surfaces by monitoring fluorescence intensity through seeding simulated fluorescence feces. Flushing-generated fecal aerosols could spread to the breathing zone, deposit on floor, and partitions in squat toilet cubicles, and spread even beyond to the restroom lobby. A total of 0.24 % and 0.17 % of seeded fecal waste deposits on the floor and partition (lower than 0.20 m) for each flush. Aerosol concentration decays rapidly, with 86.8 ± 2.2 % reduction in the second minute after a previous flush compared to that in the first minute. Public toilet users are recommended to wait for 2 min after the early flush before entering the cubicle.

Persistent Ascaris Transmission Is Possible in Urban Areas Even Where Sanitation Coverage Is High.

In low-income, urban, informal communities lacking sewerage and solid waste services, onsite sanitation (sludges, aqueous effluent) and child feces are potential sources of human fecal contamination in living environments. Working in informal communities of urban Maputo, Mozambique, we developed a quantitative, stochastic, mass-balance approach to evaluate plausible scenarios of localized contamination that could explain why the soil-transmitted helminth Ascaris remains endemic despite nearly universal coverage of latrines that sequester most fecal wastes. We used microscopy to enumerate presumptively viable Ascaris ova in feces, fecal sludges, and soils from compounds (i.e., household clusters) and then constructed a steady-state mass-balance model to evaluate possible contamination scenarios capable of explaining observed ova counts in soils. Observed Ascaris counts (mean = -0.01 log10 ova per wet gram of soil, sd = 0.71 log10) could be explained by deposits of 1.9 grams per day (10th percentile 0.04 grams, 90th percentile 84 grams) of child feces on average, rare fecal sludge contamination events that transport 17 kg every three years (10th percentile 1.0 kg, 90th percentile 260 kg), or a daily discharge of 2.7 kg aqueous effluent from an onsite system (10th percentile 0.09 kg, 90th percentile 82 kg). Results suggest that even limited intermittent flows of fecal wastes in this setting can result in a steady-state density of Ascaris ova in soils capable of sustaining transmission, given the high prevalence of Ascaris shedding by children (prevalence = 25%; mean = 3.7 log10 per wet gram, sd = 1.1 log10), the high Ascaris ova counts in fecal sludges (prevalence = 88%; mean = 1.8 log10 per wet gram, sd = 0.95 log10), and the extended persistence and viability of Ascaris ova in soils. Even near-universal coverage of onsite sanitation may allow for sustained transmission of Ascaris under these conditions.

SARS-CoV-2 genetic material is removed during municipal wastewater treatment and is undetectable after advanced treatment

The aim of this study was to establish whether SARS-CoV-2 genetic material is detectable after municipal wastewater treatment and to verify its expected removal from purified water that is reclaimed for potable reuse. Viral loads of SARS-CoV-2 (N1 and N2 genes) were monitored in raw influent wastewater (sewage) entering a water reclamation facility and in subsequent advanced treatment. Despite the large viral RNA load in raw sewage during peak COVID-19 outbreaks, substantial amounts of SARS-CoV-2 genetic material were removed during the conventional wastewater treatment process. Further, SARS-CoV-2 genetic material was undetectable after advanced purification. This confirms that potable reuse is resilient against high viral loads which are expected results given the advanced degree of wastewater and water treatment. Findings from this study may enhance public perception of the safety of potable water reuse; however, it should also be noted that studies to date worldwide indicate no evidence of SARS-CoV-2 transmission via water, and the CDC does not consider fecal waste or wastewaters as a source of exposure.

Parasitological analysis of vegetables sold in supermarkets and free markets in the city of Taguatinga, Federal District, Brazil

Parasitosis are the most common diseases in the world, they are responsible for relevant negative consequences in the individuals´ health. The consumption of vegetables in Brazil and in the world is common due to their high nutritional value and they are recommended to be included in the population´s diet. Contaminations in vegetables are most often caused by irrigation water which is contaminated by feces, other forms of contamination are through organic manure containing fecal waste and the contact of vegetables with animals where they are grown. This research evaluated the contamination in vegetables with the purpose of warning the community about hygiene and the correct approach of food handling in order to prevent parasitic infections, contributing to people´s health. Samples were collected from supermarkets and farmers´ markets, where we obtained a total of 30 samples that were analyzed using Hoffman, centrifugation and slide reading´s techniques. In all samples, parasites were found. In six samples non-pathogenic amoebas were found, however this finding means that there was contamination from human or animal feces. And, in the other 24 samples, parasitic structures that cause damage to health were found. This work showed a high level of contamination of the vegetables that are consumed daily by the population and the diseases caused by food which are a concern for the public health. Contaminated vegetables are dangerous considering the transport of parasites that may generate human infections, therefore the importance to create public policies in order to avoid parasitic infections. KEY WORDS: Parasitic infections; food contamination; parasitology; food parasitology;neglected diseases.

Penyuluhan Penyakit Parasiter pada Ternak Ruminansia dan Pelatihan Pembuatan Pupuk Organik di Kelompok Ternak Putra Rahayu, Kabupaten Wonogiri, Jawa Tengah

Parasitic diseases usually attack cattle or sheep, which can cause a decrease in livestock productivity. One of the parasitic diseases that arise is caused by the cage's cleanliness and poor management of faecal waste. This community engagement activity aims to increase farmers' knowledge about ruminants' parasitic diseases and train them to produce organic fertilizer from cow faeces. The activity was carried out at the Putra Rahayu Cattle Group Farmers in Tawangrejo Village, Jatipurno District, Wonogiri Regency. Activities included conveying information about parasitic diseases and training on making organic fertilizer from cow faeces. This livestock group has 25 members. All participants participated in the activity enthusiastically. As many as 28.6% of respondents already know how to make organic fertilizer. All participants did not know about parasitic diseases. After counselling and training, farmers' knowledge increased by 72.4% about how to make organic fertilizers and increased 100% of their knowledge about parasitic diseases in livestock. The results of the cow faeces test found that Toxocara sp., strongyle and trematode parasite eggs were then given a grant in the form of parasitic drugs for ruminants. This activity concludes that farmers' knowledge of parasitic diseases and organic fertilizers increases.&#x0D;

Effect of dietary protein source and ingredient grinding size on fish performance, faecal waste production and characteristics of yellowtail kingfish (Seriola lalandi) fed restrictively and to apparent satiation

Recently, yellowtail kingfish (Seriola lalandi) is being cultured in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). Yellowtail kingfish have a poor faecal integrity, which makes the removal of faeces by traditional RAS technology difficult. Reducing the faecal waste load in RAS can be achieved by reducing the amount of faeces produced (e.g., increasing digestibility) and/or increasing the removal of faeces. This study assessed the effect of partial fish meal replacement by plant ingredients and the effect of ingredient grinding size on the amount of faecal waste produced and faecal characteristics, like faecal removal efficiency and particle size distribution (PSD), in yellowtail kingfish. This was investigated during two 35-d experiments, where fish were fed restrictively (experiment R) or to apparent satiation (experiment S). For each experiment, individual batches of four experimental diets were produced according to a 2 × 2 factorial design (protein source × ingredient grinding size). The formulas used were identical for both experiments. FM100 diets contained only fish meal as protein source, whilst at FM30-P70 diets approximately 70% of the fish meal were replaced by plant protein ingredients. The effect of ingredient grinding size was tested by including 40% of either a fine or coarse grinding mixture. Tanks were stocked with 20 fish and 27 fish for experiment R and experiment S, respectively. For each tank, fish performance, faecal waste production, faecal removal efficiency and faecal PSD were measured. During both experiments, ingredient grinding size did not affect the faecal removal efficiency or PSD, whilst fish fed the fine FM30-P70 diets restrictively showed a lower faecal waste production. The inclusion of plant ingredients resulted in a lower absolute growth and higher FCR. Furthermore, fish fed the FM30-P70 diets showed a higher faecal waste production, a smaller PSD and a lower faecal removal efficiency. This ultimately resulted in a higher amount of non-removed faeces by 58.3% and 37.1% compared to FM100 diets for the experiment R and experiment S, respectively. In conclusion, the replacement of fish meal with plant ingredients in yellowtail kingfish diets is challenging due to the adverse effects on fish performance, faecal waste production and faecal characteristics. However, feeding yellowtail kingfish to apparent satiation partly reduced these adverse effects of plant ingredient inclusion in terms of faecal waste production and faecal characteristics. Reducing the ingredient grinding size of yellowtail kingfish diets tended to lower the faecal waste production, whilst not negatively affecting the fish performance or faecal characteristics.

New sustainable utilization approach of livestock manure: Conversion to dual-reaction-center Fenton-like catalyst for water purification

Rural pollution is largely caused by the accumulation of waste biomass, such as livestock manure and crop straw, which is extremely difficult to dispose of due to the simultaneous need to non-destructively treat metal and organic matter. Untreated fecal waste fluxes have contributed to more than 870,000 sanitation-related deaths annually worldwide. The existing disposal methods are accompanied by large amounts of energy and resource consumption and GHG emissions, which are not conducive to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Herein, we pioneer a new approach to sustainable resource utilization by subjecting unprocessed livestock manure to a Dual-Reaction-Center (DRC) Fenton-like catalyst directly through the ordered bonding of intrinsic metal-organic species via an in situ 2-stage calcination-annealing process with zero emissions and zero pollution. The directional electron transfers along with the generated metal cation–π interactions during the resourcelized process led to the formation of electron-rich/-poor microregions. Through triggering by a small amount of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), the removal of refractory pollutants reaches 100% within a very short time in this system, which also shows a long-term purification effect on actual wastewater, accompanied by the utilization of intrinsic energy from the pollutants and dissolved oxygen. This study is expected to advance the resource utilization of rural waste and the sustainable development of environmental factors.

Co-treatment of fecal matter with kitchen waste using black soldier fly: process performance evaluation

Organic matter processing through Hermetia illucens (black soldier fly) technology offers promising fecal sludge management (FSM) and sustainable sanitation option. Fecal matter has been valorized using black soldier fly (BSF) technology; however, there is insufficient knowledge in substrate co-treatment rationing rates to scale up the extant BSFL systems for optimum waste conversion. In this study, an evaluation of BSF process performance during co-treatment of fecal matter and kitchen waste was carried out under laboratory-scale conditions. BSF larvae feeding substrates were formulated using fresh fecal matter and kitchen waste (FM: KW) in the ratios; 1:0, 4:1, 2:1, 1:1, and 0:1. The experiments were set out in rectangular plastic containers (26*13*11cm). Under each mixing ratio, 1000g of the feed substrate was treated utilizing 5g of 5-day old BSF larvae. One hundred larvae were randomly picked at three-day intervals from each treatment (in triplicate) to monitor the larval weight gain across the treatment process. Larval days to 50% pupation, mean pupal yield, waste reduction rate (WR), bioconversion rates (BR), and feed conversion rates (FCR) were monitored for the process performance. The results showed that substrate mixed 1:1 attained the best measures; WR (90.56%), a high weight reduction index (WRI) (5.66), high BR (14.56), and a high overall pre-pupal yield (72.78g) within a shorter development time (16 days). This study affirms the performance efficacy of BSFL to sufficiently convert fecal substrates when co-treated with kitchen waste, promoting a circular economy. It, therefore, illustrates that a co-treatment strategy has the potential to boost and enhance sustainable fecal waste management for future applications.

Source tracking swine fecal waste on household surfaces proximal to swine concentrated animal feeding operations in southeastern North Carolina, USA

BACKGROUND AND AIM: In North Carolina, swine industrial livestock operations (ILOs) are located disproportionately in low-income and communities of color. Swine ILO neighbors have raised concerns about emissions from ILOs. We aim to compare the detection frequency and quantity of a swine-specific Bacteroides fecal microbial source-tracking marker (pig-2-bac DNA) contamination on outdoor and indoor household surfaces at ILO worker (ILO) compared to ILO neighbor (ILO-N) and metropolitan resident (metro) homes in North Carolina. METHODS: At enrollment, ILO, ILO-N, and metro participants collected 2 outdoor and 2 indoor household surface settled dust samples wiping a Copan flocked swab across a 10 cm2 area. Using quantitative real-time PCR, pig-2-bac DNA copy number per area was estimated in household samples. We used logistic and linear regression to evaluate differences in pig-2-bac prevalence and quantity between the three household groups and on outdoor compared to indoor surfaces. RESULTS: Ninety-one households (354 swabs) were sampled: 30 ILO (113 swabs), 31 ILO-N (119 swabs) and 30 metro (122 swabs). Prevalence of Pig-2-bac detection on &amp;#x3e;=1 household surface was 33%, 39%, and 0% among ILO, ILO-N, and metro households, respectively. Compared to metro households, higher log-10 pig-2-bac DNA copy number per 10 cm2 was observed at ILO (beta=0.5; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.2, 0.7) and ILO-N households (beta=0.2; 95% CI=0.06, 0.4). Compared to indoor surfaces, higher log-10 copy number per 10 cm2S was observed on outdoor surfaces (beta = 0.181, 95% CI=0.02, 0.3). CONCLUSIONS: Swine-specific fecal contamination was detected at a higher prevalence in ILO-N compared to ILO workers and metro resident homes. Both ILO and ILO-N groups had statistically significant increases in copy number compared to the metro group. KEYWORDS: microbial contamination, pig-2-bac, industrial livestock operations, concentrated animal feeding operations

Diversity of Escherichia coli found in the Salish Sea

E. coli is a species of enteric bacteria found in the intestinal tract of humans and animals that can persist in the environment and contaminate food. Anthropogenic activity has led to pathogenic E. coli from humans and animals contaminating environments through the discharge of fecal wastes in sewage and agricultural runoff. While anthropogenic sources of E. coli have been described in terrestrial and freshwater environments, gaps remain in scientific knowledge about E. coli diversity in marine environments and the risk to human and animal health. This study aims to fill in some of the knowledge gaps on the diversity of E. coli in marine ecosystems, including: 1) describe the spatial variation of the E. coli sequence types (STs) found in the study region; 2) describe available information on E. coli STs from marine environments in terms of known relationships to determine if the isolates were related to human, animal, environment strains or novel. We analyzed a dataset of 332 E. coli isolates from the Salish Sea ecosystem, comprising 196 multi-locus sequence types. Sample sources included marine water near shellfish beds, marine wildlife, river otters, and a small number of marine water sites near beaches and freshwater samples from creeks into the Salish Sea. ST10 was the most frequent ST (n=12) and was found in multiple locations and sample types. For the identified STs, we searched metadata for E. coli STs in EnteroBase, an international E. coli database. Additional information on E. coli STs was derived from searches of published studies in PubMed. We found that diversity varied between different regions of the study area, with the greatest diversity found in an area which has partially treated wastewater outflows. A higher diversity of STs associated with animals was found in an area near were animals are raised. Many of the STs identified have been associated with virulence in humans. For a number of identified STs, no references could be found in either PubMed or EnteroBase. These findings support the importance of further studies to understand the relevance of marine E. coli to human and wildlife health.

Tools for a comprehensive assessment of public health risks associated with limited sanitation services provision

Three water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) support tools were applied to Kampala city, Uganda, to evaluate areas with the highest health hazard due to poor wastewater and faecal sludge management and to develop interventions to improve sanitation and reduce exposure. The Pathogen Flow and Mapping Tool (PFMT) assessed how different sanitation management interventions influence pathogen emissions to surface water using rotavirus as the indicator pathogen, while the HyCRISTAL health hazard tool evaluated how flooding and drainage infrastructure influence the presence of human excreta in the environment. The SaniPath tool identified common high-risk pathways of exposure to faecal contamination in food, open drains and floodwater. An overlap in high health hazard hotspot areas was identified by the PFMT and the HyCRISTAL tools. Across the city, the most important hazard sources were the indiscriminate disposal of faecal waste into open stormwater drains from onsite sanitation technologies, open defecation and the insufficient treatment of wastewater. The SaniPath tool identified drain water, floodwater, street food and uncooked produce as the dominant faecal exposure pathways for selected parishes in the city, demonstrating the presence of excreta in the environment. Together, the tools provide collective evidence guiding household, community, and city-wide sanitation, hygiene and infrastructure management interventions from a richer assessment than when a single tool is applied. For areas with high spatial risks, those practising open defecation, and for low-lying areas, these interventions include the provision of watertight pit latrines or septic tanks that are safely managed and regularly emptied. Faecal sludge should be emptied before flood events, direct connections of latrines to open storm drains should be prevented, and the safe handling of food and water promoted. The tools enhance decision making for local authorities, and the assessments can be replicated in other cities.

Effect of dietary NSP level and bile acid supplementation on nutrient digestibility and the bile acid metabolism in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

The effects of dietary bile acid supplementation (BAS) on apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC) and the bile acid metabolism in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were investigated for diets differing in non-starch polysaccharide (NSP) level. Four experimental diets were formulated according to an 2 by 2 factorial design. A low-NSP and High-NSP diet (0 vs. 160 g kg−1 inclusion of an NSP-rich ingredient mixture) were first formulated. The aim of this was to create differences in the amount of faecal waste produced, and consequently as previously shown in rainbow, the amount of faecal bile acid loss (FBAL). Both NSP-level diets were tested with 0% and 0.3% BAS (0 vs. 3 g kg−1 inclusion of a bile acid mixture). The bile acid mixture contained taurocholic acid (T-CA) and glycocholic acid (G-CA) in a 2:1 ratio. Glycocholic acid does not naturally occur in trout and was used as marker to see if supplemented bile acids are efficiently absorbed and enter enterohepatic circulation (EHC). Fish were fed to apparent satiation for 42 days. Dietary NSP level did not enhance FBAL. BAS was beneficial for fat ADC, but not for the ADC of protein and carbohydrates. BAS improved fat ADC regardless of NSP level, which suggests that bile acids are a limiting factor for fat digestion in rainbow trout. Total bile acid synthesis was a 4-fold lower in fish fed the 0.3% BAS diets compared to the 0% BAS diets. Lower bile acid synthesis with BAS occurred alongside enlarged body and liver + gallbladder bile acid pools and a higher content of bile acids in the chyme. These higher bile acid levels most likely caused a negative feedback inhibition of bile acid synthesis. Negative synthesis rates of G-CA were found when feeding the 0.3% BAS diets, which suggests that this bile acid is catabolised or converted into other bile acid types in rainbow trout. The enlarged pool of T-CA, but especially of the body foreign G-CA, with BAS in both the body and liver + gallbladder shows that dietary bile acids are effectively taking part in EHC. The relative absorption of T-CA and G-CA over the different intestinal compartments was comparable, which shows that EHC does not differentiate between T-CA and G-CA. While relative absorption of bile acids was highest between the distal intestine and the faeces, the absolute decrease in chyme bile acid content was highest between the pyloric region and the mid intestine. The latter shows that significant bile acid absorption occurs more proximal in the intestine of rainbow trout than previously thought.

Use of microbial fecal indicator monitoring and fecal source tracking as a park management tool in Rocky Mountain National Park

Visitation to national parks in the United States increased by an estimated 9,304,786 visitors from 2018 to 2019. This increased visitation has resulted in negative impacts to protected natural resources. Visitor use impacts include contamination of surface waters with fecal waste which may contain pathogenic microorganisms. In this study we evaluated the use of fecal indicator bacteria approach and microbial source tracking as a park management tool to (i) identify potential public health threats in recreational water bodies; and (ii) characterize visitor use habits throughout Rocky Mountain National Park. Traditional fecal indicators including E. coli, fecal coliforms, and total coliforms were utilized as well as antibiotic resistant bacteria. Fecal indicator bacteria and antibiotic resistant bacteria were present in all water bodies located in high visitation areas. Trends in fecal indicator bacteria and antibiotic resistant bacteria concentrations correlated with visitor use metrics, suggesting those could be markers for characterizing visitor use and impact within the park. We also present a case study of the use of these indicators for park management by assessing the efficacy of two pit toilet types on inhibiting fecal waste from entering downstream surface waters. A new urine diverting toilet did not consistently prohibit coliforms, antibiotic resistant bacteria, or human-associated fecal genetic markers from entering downstream surface waters as compared to a traditional pit toilet or areas with no upstream pit toilet. The use of microbial fecal indicator monitoring offers a two-fold data acquisition opportunity for park managers to address potential public health concerns while characterizing visitor use.

Enumeration of Bacterial Isolates from Hands of Primary and Post Primary School pupils in Amai, Delta State

The presence of bacteria on the hands of fourty (40) school pupils from two different schools (Amai Primary and secondary School) in Amai, Delta State, was analysed. The reason was to enumerate bacteria isolated from hands of students. Swab samples were collected from hands of pupils in both schools of 20 students each of different sex groups. Microbiological methods was used for the isolation, enumeration and antibiotic test of the isolates. The results showed various isolates of Staphylococcus sp 56 (25.7%), Shigella sp 24 (9.7%), Staphylococcus epidermidis 32 (12.1%), Escherichia coli 41 (15.6%), and Enterococcus sp 36 (11.0%). Staphylococcus aureus 56 (25.3%) and Escherichia coli 41 (15.6%) were the most frequent isolates. The isolation of Shigella sp 24 (9.7%) and Enterococcus sp 36 (11.0%) is of great importance as the isolation of these organisms showed improper faecal wastes disposal around the school environment and also lack of proper clean up after using the convience by the pupils. Testing these isolates to few antibiotics, the isolates were susceptible to Pefloxacin, Gentamycin, Erythromycin, Chloramphenicol, Streptomycin, while resistant to Augmentin, Amoxicillin, and Ampiclox. This study revealed that the students hands were infested with pathogens due negligence of maintenance culture. Those in charge of schools like the principal are advised to keep soap and water for hand washing, while parents on their part should make available hand washing facilities for their children at home since it will add economic value to the society, why Government should enact laws that will make provision of washing hand amenities in all areas compulsory for individuals.

Hydrothermal carbonization as an alternative sanitation technology: process optimization and development of low-cost reactor.

Background: The provision of safe sanitation services is essential for human well-being and environmental integrity, but it is often lacking in less developed communities with insufficient financial and technical resources. Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) has been suggested as an alternative sanitation technology, producing value-added products from faecal waste. We evaluated the HTC technology for raw human waste treatment in terms of resource recovery. In addition, we constructed and tested a low-cost HTC reactor for its technical feasibility. Methods: Raw human faeces were hydrothermally treated in a mild severity range (≤ 200 °C and ≤ 1 hr). The total energy recovery was analysed from the energy input, higher heating value (HHV) of hydrochar and biomethane potential of process water. The nutrient contents were recovered through struvite precipitation employing process water and acid leachate from hydrochar ash. A bench-scale low-cost reactor (BLR) was developed using widely available materials and tested for human faeces treatment. Results: The hydrochar had HHVs (23.2 - 25.2 MJ/kg) comparable to bituminous coal. The calorific value of hydrochar accounted for more than 90% of the total energy recovery. Around 78% of phosphorus in feedstock was retained in hydrochar ash, while 15% was in process water. 72% of the initial phosphorus can be recovered as struvite when deficient Mg and NH 4 are supplemented. The experiments with BLR showed stable operation for faecal waste treatment with an energy efficiency comparable to a commercial reactor system. Conclusions: This research presents a proof of concept for the hydrothermal treatment of faecal waste as an alternative sanitation technology, by providing a quantitative evaluation of the resource recovery of energy and nutrients. The experiments with the BLR demonstrate the technical feasibility of the low-cost reactor and support its further development on a larger scale to reach practical implementation.