Microbiological Analysis of Necrosols Collected from Urban Cemeteries in Poland

Abstract

Decomposition of organic matter is the primary function in the soil ecosystem, which involves bacteria and fungi. Soil microbial content depends on many factors, and secondary biological and chemical contaminations change and affect environmental feedback. Little work has been done to estimate the microbiological risk for cemetery employees and visitors. The potential risk of infection for people in the cemetery is primarily associated with injury and wound contamination during performing the work. The aim of this study was to analyze the microbiota of cemetery soil obtained from cemeteries and bacterial composition in selected soil layers encountered by gravediggers and cemetery caretakers. The most common bacterial pathogens were Enterococcus spp. (80.6%), Bacillus spp. (77.4%), and E. coli (45.1%). The fungi Penicillium spp. and Aspergillus spp. were isolated from 51% and 6.4% of samples, respectively. Other bacterial species were in the ground cemetery relatively sparse. Sampling depth was not correlated with bacterial growth (p > 0.05), but it was correlated with several differences in microbiota composition (superficial versus deep layer).

Another casualty of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic—the environmental impact

“…After death, the human body becomes the substrate of an ecosystem composed of several saprophytic microorganisms (Antonio et al 2018 ). The microorganisms involved in the cadaveric decomposition, according to Całkosiński et al ( 2015 ), can impact the environment and also pose a risk to human health.…”

Where Did They Come from—Multi-Drug Resistant Pathogenic Escherichia coli in a Cemetery Environment?

“…However, it is believed that cemeteries could represent a health risk. In particular, this risk is greatest in grave diggers due to injuries or contamination of wounds during digging of the graves [ 27 ]. In South Africa, studies addressing graveyards [ 28 ] and the associated potential health risk are rare, which is similar to the situation in many other countries.…”

Environmental damage and public health threat caused by cemeteries: a proposal of ideal cemeteries for the growing urban sprawl

“…Excessive physical -chemical or biological cemeterial soil contamination has been reported in other regions of the world (Geleta et al, 2014;Całkosiński et al, 2015;Killgrove & Montgomery, 2016). This reinforces the importance of carrying out studies investigating the degree of contamination and attendant risks that cemeteries present to the population.…”

“…However, the release of substances into the environment, attendant upon the decomposing body, starts in phase V through phase VII (Figure 1). In these phases, gases such as hydrogen sulfide, mercaptans, carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia and phosphine are released (Pacheco, 2000;Trindade & Neckel, 2014;Całkosiński et al, 2015). Authors also indicate that 30 to 40 liters of necroleachate are released into the environment (in the case of the decomposition of an individual of ~70 kg).…”