Detecting Enteric Pathogens in Low-Risk Drinking Water in Dhaka, Bangladesh: An Assessment of the WHO Water Safety Categories
The microbiological quality of water is usually assessed by fecal coliform bacteria, and the presence of <i>E. coli</i> as an indicator of fecal contamination is widely recommended by international guidelines. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of diarrheagenic pathogens, in both...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/8/6/321 |
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| author | Sabera Saima Jannatul Ferdous Rebeca Sultana Ridwan Bin Rashid Sara Almeida Anowara Begum Peter Kjær Mackie Jensen |
| author_facet | Sabera Saima Jannatul Ferdous Rebeca Sultana Ridwan Bin Rashid Sara Almeida Anowara Begum Peter Kjær Mackie Jensen |
| author_sort | Sabera Saima |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The microbiological quality of water is usually assessed by fecal coliform bacteria, and the presence of <i>E. coli</i> as an indicator of fecal contamination is widely recommended by international guidelines. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of diarrheagenic pathogens, in both public and personal domain water sources and examine the reliance on the WHO drinking water risk assessment guidelines. This study was conducted in a low-income urban community in Dhaka, Bangladesh between September 2014 and October 2015. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect the marker and virulence genes of <i>Escherichia coli</i>, <i>Vibrio cholerae</i>, <i>Salmonella</i> species, and <i>Campylobacter</i> species, and the culture method was employed for the quantitative assessment of <i>E. coli</i>. According to the WHO guidelines, 48% of the public domain source water and 21% of the personal domain point-of-drinking water were classified in the low-risk group, i.e., 0 CFU of <i>E. coli</i>/100 mL. However, when using PCR, we detected pathogens in 39% (14/36) of the point-of-drinking water samples and 65% (74/114) of the public domain water source samples classified in the low-risk group. Our study showed that relying solely on <i>E. coli</i> detection as a measure of water quality may overlook the presence of other pathogens in the drinking water. In addition to the culture-based method, the detection of virulence genes by PCR should also be considered to add more scrutiny to the detection of diverse types of pathogens. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:50:53Z |
| format | Article |
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| issn | 2414-6366 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:50:53Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease |
| spelling | doaj.art-4289eb0813814794af0b9c48a015d9762023-11-18T12:56:32ZengMDPI AGTropical Medicine and Infectious Disease2414-63662023-06-018632110.3390/tropicalmed8060321Detecting Enteric Pathogens in Low-Risk Drinking Water in Dhaka, Bangladesh: An Assessment of the WHO Water Safety CategoriesSabera Saima0Jannatul Ferdous1Rebeca Sultana2Ridwan Bin Rashid3Sara Almeida4Anowara Begum5Peter Kjær Mackie Jensen6Department of Microbiology, University of Dhaka, 1000 Dhaka, BangladeshDepartment of Microbiology, University of Dhaka, 1000 Dhaka, BangladeshCopenhagen Center for Disaster Research, Section for Global Health, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, 1014 Copenhagen, DenmarkDepartment of Microbiology, University of Dhaka, 1000 Dhaka, BangladeshCopenhagen Center for Disaster Research, Section for Global Health, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, 1014 Copenhagen, DenmarkDepartment of Microbiology, University of Dhaka, 1000 Dhaka, BangladeshCopenhagen Center for Disaster Research, Section for Global Health, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, 1014 Copenhagen, DenmarkThe microbiological quality of water is usually assessed by fecal coliform bacteria, and the presence of <i>E. coli</i> as an indicator of fecal contamination is widely recommended by international guidelines. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of diarrheagenic pathogens, in both public and personal domain water sources and examine the reliance on the WHO drinking water risk assessment guidelines. This study was conducted in a low-income urban community in Dhaka, Bangladesh between September 2014 and October 2015. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect the marker and virulence genes of <i>Escherichia coli</i>, <i>Vibrio cholerae</i>, <i>Salmonella</i> species, and <i>Campylobacter</i> species, and the culture method was employed for the quantitative assessment of <i>E. coli</i>. According to the WHO guidelines, 48% of the public domain source water and 21% of the personal domain point-of-drinking water were classified in the low-risk group, i.e., 0 CFU of <i>E. coli</i>/100 mL. However, when using PCR, we detected pathogens in 39% (14/36) of the point-of-drinking water samples and 65% (74/114) of the public domain water source samples classified in the low-risk group. Our study showed that relying solely on <i>E. coli</i> detection as a measure of water quality may overlook the presence of other pathogens in the drinking water. In addition to the culture-based method, the detection of virulence genes by PCR should also be considered to add more scrutiny to the detection of diverse types of pathogens.https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/8/6/321drinking waterWHO guidelinesenteric pathogens<i>E. coli</i>Bangladesh |
| spellingShingle | Sabera Saima Jannatul Ferdous Rebeca Sultana Ridwan Bin Rashid Sara Almeida Anowara Begum Peter Kjær Mackie Jensen Detecting Enteric Pathogens in Low-Risk Drinking Water in Dhaka, Bangladesh: An Assessment of the WHO Water Safety Categories Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease drinking water WHO guidelines enteric pathogens <i>E. coli</i> Bangladesh |
| title | Detecting Enteric Pathogens in Low-Risk Drinking Water in Dhaka, Bangladesh: An Assessment of the WHO Water Safety Categories |
| title_full | Detecting Enteric Pathogens in Low-Risk Drinking Water in Dhaka, Bangladesh: An Assessment of the WHO Water Safety Categories |
| title_fullStr | Detecting Enteric Pathogens in Low-Risk Drinking Water in Dhaka, Bangladesh: An Assessment of the WHO Water Safety Categories |
| title_full_unstemmed | Detecting Enteric Pathogens in Low-Risk Drinking Water in Dhaka, Bangladesh: An Assessment of the WHO Water Safety Categories |
| title_short | Detecting Enteric Pathogens in Low-Risk Drinking Water in Dhaka, Bangladesh: An Assessment of the WHO Water Safety Categories |
| title_sort | detecting enteric pathogens in low risk drinking water in dhaka bangladesh an assessment of the who water safety categories |
| topic | drinking water WHO guidelines enteric pathogens <i>E. coli</i> Bangladesh |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/8/6/321 |
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