Escherichia coli as a Tool for Disease Risk Assessment of Drinking Water Sources

Abstract

Many diseases have been associated with poor drinking water quality including diseases caused by diarrheagenic pathogens, especially in developing countries where access to a consistent water supply is a problem. The objective of the study was to evaluate the health risks associated with the sources of drinking water in the Dangme West District of Ghana using E. coli as a measurement tool, aiming at ascertaining the paths leading to contamination of the water sources. A total of 464 water samples were obtained for analysis. Sampling covered a year across the dry and wet seasons in Ghana. Water samples were obtained from groundwater and surface water sources. E. coli counts were determined using the most probable number method (MPN). Disease risk assessment was carried out using the WHO drinking water risk assessment guidelines. Generally, the study revealed significantly higher E. coli counts in the wet season than in the dry season. Among the water samples analyzed, surface water, especially from the dams, was found to pose the highest disease risk as compared to the other water sources. Samples from groundwater sources, especially boreholes, posed the lowest disease risk. In conclusion, observations from the study implied that most water sources in the study district are highly polluted with bacteria pathogens beyond recommended safety guidelines. The main causes of faecal contamination in these water sources were purported to be anthropogenic. Therefore, there is a need to formulate a policy aimed at managing and improving rural water sources.

Universal Enzyme-Based Field Workflow for Rapid and Sensitive Quantification of Water Pathogens

“…Despite advances in water treatment, sanitation, and hygiene, waterborne pathogen-related outbreak persists in all nations regardless of economic status. Notable bacterial waterborne pathogens include Campylobacter spp., a leading cause of bacterial diarrheal illness and a commonly identified cause of Guillan-Barré syndrome [1,2], and Escherichia coli, frequently associated with gastroenteritis and an indicator species for other faecal-borne microorganisms, such as Salmonella and Hepatitis A [3][4][5]. Protozoan parasites, such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia, are also prevalent in environmental water and are responsible for the majority of reported waterborne disease outbreaks due to protozoa worldwide [6].…”

Draft Genome Sequences of Multidrug-Resistant Escherichia coli Strains Isolated from River Water in Malaysia

“… Escherichia coli is a fecal coliform that contaminates aquatic environments from the discharge of human and animal waste, as well as from wastewater treatment plants ( 1 – 3 ). Selective pressure from the environment may cause these bacteria to acquire resistance genes and serve as a significant reservoir for the transmission of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) determinants, becoming a threat to global health ( 4 – 6 ).…”

Preliminary analysis of the preparation of Polish water utilities to implement mandatory risk management in accordance with the Drinking Water Directive 2020/2184

“…They include multi-criteria decision (Ghandi and Roozbahani 2020), multiple failure models (Haider et al 2021), solutions based on belief functions (Démotier et al 2003). An important aspect of water safety is microbiological safety (Dufour et al 2003;Odonkor and Mahami 2020). Part of risk management is controlling the proper maintenance of the infrastructure, so there are decision support tools that combine Water Safety Plans with asset management (Large et al 2014).…”