Assessment of Microbial Contamination and Physicochemical Condition of Public Swimming Pools in Kashan, Iran

Abstract

Most of the isolated fungi in the swimming pools can cause ear, eye and allergic diseases, therefore improvement the hygiene of swimming pools for control of microbial contaminations are recommended.Background: Swimming pools can transmit contagious diseases such as; fungal disease, otitis, conjunctivitis and amoebic meningoencephalitis. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the level of microbial contamination and the physicochemical condition of the swimming pools. Materials and Methods:In this cross -sectional study, 200 water samples were collected from four swimming pools in Kashan, Iran. Temperature, pH and residual chlorine and turbidity of the pools were examined. Samples were concentrated through a membrane filter and sedimentation, to test for the presence of parasites, fungi, and bacteria. Results: The results of the study showed that the mean of the physicochemical parameters, except in temperature, was standard in more than 60 % of the pools. Average temperature was higher than standard. The highest chlorine level was recorded in summer. Coliform bacteria was found to be positive in 3 % of the samples. Prevalence of saprophytic and opportunistic fungi was 27 %. Twelve species of fungi were isolated; the most common were Aspergillus, Penicillium sp, Rhizopus sp, and Fusarium sp, and the highest fungi pollution was observed in the summer. Prevalence of bacterial contamination was 9 %; bacteria isolate included Staphylococcus epidermidis, Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli. There was a significant association found between fungal and bacterial contamination with residual chlorine (P = 0.014, 0.001). Conclusions:The results showed that there were no parasites, or pseudomonas in Kashan's swimming pools, however, the prevalence of opportunistic saprophytic fungal contamination was relatively high. Such conditions may be attributed to a high temperature and insufficient water treatment. In addition, there is a need to monitor water quality and improve staff training to increase users' knowledge and awareness of the risks.

Bacteriological quality of some swimming pools in Alexandria with special reference to Staphylococcus aureus

“…Compared to other studies, TC was detected in 96.3 % of samples analyzed by Bekele and Leta (2014), while much lower figures were documented as 32.9 % by Papadopoulou et al (2008), 13.3 % by Martins et al (1995, in South America, and 9.0 % by Rasti et al (2012), in Iran. Their results underpin the importance of continuous monitoring and good maintenance of swimming pools.…”

“…These findings can explain the high bacterial counts and the high number of unacceptable samples. Other researchers supported these findings by reporting that the high prevalence of bacterial contamination was observed from indoor public swimming pools where the chlorine level was at its lowest level (Rasti et al 2012;Bilajac et al 2012;Fadaei and Amiri 2015).…”

“…A wider range of residual chlorine (1-2 ppm) was adopted by Jordanian authorities; Rabi et al (2008) found that only 49.9 % of their studied public swimming pools were complying with that range. However, when an even more wide range (1-3 ppm) was recommended by Iranian authorities, 71 % of the studied four indoor public swimming pools samples by Rasti et al (2012) were found to be complying with their standards. Moreover, the residual chlorine showed a negative correlation with all the assessed bacterial indicators, and the highest frequencies of isolation of TC (47.3 %), E. coli (71.4 %), and S. aureus (44.5 %) from swimming pools were encountered when residual chlorine was less than 1 ppm (Table 2).…”

Microfungi Potentially Pathogenic for Humans Reported in Surface Waters Utilized for Recreation

“…Numerous authors worldwide have found low water quality in swimming pools , and emphasized the problem of mycological contamination and the risks associated with the presence of fungi in this environment. Yeast‐like fungi have also often been reported in swimming pools .…”

Ecophysiology of Selected Candida Species Isolated From Different Types of Utility Water Under Laboratory Conditions

“…Many authors have evaluated diverse aspects of purity in freshwater (Wurzbacher et al, 2010), seawater (Vogel et al, 2007), surface waters (Parveen et al, 2011) and across the whole water profile (Bis et al, 2013;Shearer et al, 2007), in outdoor Vogel et al, 2007) and indoor baths (Rasti et al, 2012), in drinking water (Biedunkiewicz and Schulz, 2012) and even in municipal fountains (Biedunkiewicz, 2009).…”