Are Presence/Absence Microbial Tests Appropriate for Monitoring Large Urban Water Supplies in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Screening for fecal contamination via microbial water quality monitoring is a critical component of safe drinking water provision and public health protection. Achieving adequate levels of microbial water quality testing, however, is a challenge in resource-limited settings. One strategy for address...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2019-03-01
|
| Series: | Water |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/11/3/491 |
| _version_ | 1811336492373508096 |
|---|---|
| author | Clara MacLeod Rachel Peletz Francis Kere Aminata M’Baye Michael Onyango Sadat Aw Mamadou El Hadj Issabre Rosalind Tung Ranjiv Khush |
| author_facet | Clara MacLeod Rachel Peletz Francis Kere Aminata M’Baye Michael Onyango Sadat Aw Mamadou El Hadj Issabre Rosalind Tung Ranjiv Khush |
| author_sort | Clara MacLeod |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Screening for fecal contamination via microbial water quality monitoring is a critical component of safe drinking water provision and public health protection. Achieving adequate levels of microbial water quality testing, however, is a challenge in resource-limited settings. One strategy for addressing this challenge is to improve the efficiency of monitoring programs. In African countries, quantitative microbial testing methods are commonly used to monitor chlorinated piped water systems. However, presence/absence (P/A) tests may provide an appropriate alternative for water supplies that generally show negative fecal contamination results. This study compares 1048 water quality test results for samples collected from five African urban water systems. The operators of the systems conducted parallel tests on the 1048 samples using their standard quantitative methods (e.g., most probable number or membrane filtration) and the Colitag™ method in P/A format. Combined data demonstrates agreement rates of 97.9% (1024/1046) for detecting total coliforms and 97.8% (1025/1048) for detecting E. coli. We conclude that the P/A test offers advantages as a simpler and similarly sensitive measure of potential fecal contamination for large, urban chlorinated water systems. P/A tests may also offer a cost-effective alternative to quantitative methods, as they are quicker to perform and require less laboratory equipment. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T17:40:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1822abefd1e9430e96ac120eeab3018f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T17:40:19Z |
| publishDate | 2019-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-1822abefd1e9430e96ac120eeab3018f2022-12-22T02:37:11ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412019-03-0111349110.3390/w11030491w11030491Are Presence/Absence Microbial Tests Appropriate for Monitoring Large Urban Water Supplies in Sub-Saharan Africa?Clara MacLeod0Rachel Peletz1Francis Kere2Aminata M’Baye3Michael Onyango4Sadat Aw5Mamadou El Hadj Issabre6Rosalind Tung7Ranjiv Khush8Aquaya Institute, PO Box 21862-00505, Nairobi 00100, KenyaAquaya Institute, PO Box 1603, San Anselmo, CA 94797, USAOffice National de l’Eau et de l’Assainissement (ONEA), Ouagadougou 01, Burkina FasoSénégalaise des Eaux (SDE), Dakar 10200, SenegalNairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC), Nairobi 00100, KenyaSociété de Distribution d’Eau de la Côte d’Ivoire (SODECI), Abidjan 01, Côte d’IvoireSociété Malienne pour la Gestion de l’Eau Potable (SOMAGEP), BP E 708 Bamako, MaliNeogen Corporation, Lansing, MI 48912, USAAquaya Institute, PO Box 1603, San Anselmo, CA 94797, USAScreening for fecal contamination via microbial water quality monitoring is a critical component of safe drinking water provision and public health protection. Achieving adequate levels of microbial water quality testing, however, is a challenge in resource-limited settings. One strategy for addressing this challenge is to improve the efficiency of monitoring programs. In African countries, quantitative microbial testing methods are commonly used to monitor chlorinated piped water systems. However, presence/absence (P/A) tests may provide an appropriate alternative for water supplies that generally show negative fecal contamination results. This study compares 1048 water quality test results for samples collected from five African urban water systems. The operators of the systems conducted parallel tests on the 1048 samples using their standard quantitative methods (e.g., most probable number or membrane filtration) and the Colitag™ method in P/A format. Combined data demonstrates agreement rates of 97.9% (1024/1046) for detecting total coliforms and 97.8% (1025/1048) for detecting E. coli. We conclude that the P/A test offers advantages as a simpler and similarly sensitive measure of potential fecal contamination for large, urban chlorinated water systems. P/A tests may also offer a cost-effective alternative to quantitative methods, as they are quicker to perform and require less laboratory equipment.http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/11/3/491water qualitywater testingmonitoringpresence-absenceColitag™urban watersub-Saharan Africa |
| spellingShingle | Clara MacLeod Rachel Peletz Francis Kere Aminata M’Baye Michael Onyango Sadat Aw Mamadou El Hadj Issabre Rosalind Tung Ranjiv Khush Are Presence/Absence Microbial Tests Appropriate for Monitoring Large Urban Water Supplies in Sub-Saharan Africa? Water water quality water testing monitoring presence-absence Colitag™ urban water sub-Saharan Africa |
| title | Are Presence/Absence Microbial Tests Appropriate for Monitoring Large Urban Water Supplies in Sub-Saharan Africa? |
| title_full | Are Presence/Absence Microbial Tests Appropriate for Monitoring Large Urban Water Supplies in Sub-Saharan Africa? |
| title_fullStr | Are Presence/Absence Microbial Tests Appropriate for Monitoring Large Urban Water Supplies in Sub-Saharan Africa? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Are Presence/Absence Microbial Tests Appropriate for Monitoring Large Urban Water Supplies in Sub-Saharan Africa? |
| title_short | Are Presence/Absence Microbial Tests Appropriate for Monitoring Large Urban Water Supplies in Sub-Saharan Africa? |
| title_sort | are presence absence microbial tests appropriate for monitoring large urban water supplies in sub saharan africa |
| topic | water quality water testing monitoring presence-absence Colitag™ urban water sub-Saharan Africa |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/11/3/491 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT claramacleod arepresenceabsencemicrobialtestsappropriateformonitoringlargeurbanwatersuppliesinsubsaharanafrica AT rachelpeletz arepresenceabsencemicrobialtestsappropriateformonitoringlargeurbanwatersuppliesinsubsaharanafrica AT franciskere arepresenceabsencemicrobialtestsappropriateformonitoringlargeurbanwatersuppliesinsubsaharanafrica AT aminatambaye arepresenceabsencemicrobialtestsappropriateformonitoringlargeurbanwatersuppliesinsubsaharanafrica AT michaelonyango arepresenceabsencemicrobialtestsappropriateformonitoringlargeurbanwatersuppliesinsubsaharanafrica AT sadataw arepresenceabsencemicrobialtestsappropriateformonitoringlargeurbanwatersuppliesinsubsaharanafrica AT mamadouelhadjissabre arepresenceabsencemicrobialtestsappropriateformonitoringlargeurbanwatersuppliesinsubsaharanafrica AT rosalindtung arepresenceabsencemicrobialtestsappropriateformonitoringlargeurbanwatersuppliesinsubsaharanafrica AT ranjivkhush arepresenceabsencemicrobialtestsappropriateformonitoringlargeurbanwatersuppliesinsubsaharanafrica |