Search Results (24)

Since the 2000s, Burkina Faso has experienced a rapid mining expansion with more than one hundred sites established, leading to increased waste generation often discharged untreated into the environment. Assessing water quality in these areas is therefore critical to mitigate environmental degradation and public health risks. This study develops a site-specific water quality index (WQI) for a gold mining area in Bam Province, Burkina Faso, with the objective of improving pollution monitoring and management in relation to tailing dams. Surface and groundwater samples were collected between 2021 and 2024. Physico-chemical and bacteriological analyses of groundwater sources including wells, piezometers and boreholes revealed that several parameters such as pH, turbidity, nitrates, sulphates, total iron, aluminium, arsenic, cadmium, cyanide and total and faecal coliforms exceeded international drinking water standards. Geospatial techniques were employed to identify the main contamination sources: domestic wastewater, industrial and artisanal mining and agricultural runoff. The evolution of these parameters in relation to the dynamics of soil occupation and the influence of geological structure has enabled the distinction of key parameters associated with discharges. Although individual contaminant levels were mostly moderate, their combined effects pose a significant long-term risk to ecosystems and human health. The tailored WQI is suitable for both surface water and groundwater. It provides an integrated tool for classifying and monitoring water quality in mining environments, supporting evidence-based decision making in the management of tailing dams, environmental protection and public health. Full article

The lack of improved sanitation in rural areas of developing countries, including South Africa, exacerbates open defecation, leading to the significant contamination of water sources by human and animal waste. This study aimed to establish the association of Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, Shigella flexneri, and Yersinia enterocolitica in open defecation sites and animal waste with the contamination of water sources in Vhembe District, South Africa. A total of 1032 water samples and 111 faecal samples from the Collins Chabane and Thulamela municipalities were analysed using qPCR. Regression models were used to assess associations, with S. Typhimurium (19–60%) and S. flexneri (11–44%) being the most prevalent bacteria in faecal matter and water, showing detection rates of 4–100% and 5–100%, respectively. Strong associations were found during the wet season between faecal waste and water contamination for S. flexneri (R² = 0.7, p = 0.005) and S. Typhimurium (R² = 0.619, p = 0.091). Urgent measures are needed to address the contamination of rural water sources due to open defecation and livestock waste. Full article

Background/Objectives: Undernutrition and intestinal parasitic infections are critical public health problems in low-income countries, with adverse effects on child growth and increasing anaemia. Madagascar, with a high prevalence of these factors, lacks comprehensive studies analysing their interaction. This study aimed to assess the nutritional status, the prevalence of anaemia, and the occurrence of intestinal parasitic infections among children and adolescents in three southern regions of Madagascar. Methods: A cross-sectional, prospective study of 289 children and adolescents (10–18 years) from three schools located in Antsoamadiro, Fianarantsoa, and Toliara was conducted. Sociodemographic, anthropometric, and haemoglobin concentration data, as well as faecal samples, were collected. Nutritional status was assessed by Nutrimetry, combining Height-for-Age and BMI-for-Age indicators. Stool samples were analysed by optical microscopy and molecular methods. Results: Nutricode 1 (short stature/stunting + thinness/wasting) was significantly more frequent in Toliara. Nutricode 1 was also significantly more prevalent in males than females. Anaemia affected 57.8% of participants and was significantly associated with Nutricode 1. The overall parasitism rate was also associated with Nutricode 1. Trichuris trichiura and Ascaris lumbricoides significantly increased the risk of stunting, wasting, and Nutricode 1. Co-infection with Trichuris trichiura + Giardia duodenalis was significantly associated with wasting and Nutricode 1. This co-infection was also related to the presence of anaemia, as was moderate-intensity infection with T. trichiura. Conclusions: There is a high co-burden of undernutrition, anaemia, and parasitic infections in southern Madagascar. These findings highlight the urgency of implementing comprehensive health programmes combining parasite control, nutritional support, and iron supplementation adapted to regional realities. Full article

Waste water treatment plants (WWTP) are considered as a hotspot for the acquisition and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The present study aimed to assess the AMR rate of the waste water microbiome in a selected WWTP and the treatment efficiency. Culture-dependent and PCR methods were used in the AMR study of raw and treated waste water (TWW) microbiomes. The population proportion of heterotrophic plate count (HPC) bacteria resistant to five antibiotic classes was assessed, as well as the AMR phenotype of a total of 238 Enterobacteriaceae and 259 Enterococcus spp. strains. Waste water treatment increased tetracycline- and ciprofloxacin-resistant bacteria by 67% and 61%, as well as the incidence of Enterobacteriaceae resistant to ciprofloxacin, co-trimoxazole, and cephalosporins. Multiple resistance increased, and 8.8% of TWW isolates exhibited an ESBL-producing phenotype, most often encoded by blaTEM and blaCTX-M genes. The most common resistance among Enterococcus spp. was to erythromycin and tetracycline, and despite the increased AMR rate among TWW isolates, only the increase in tetracycline resistance and the decrease in high-level gentamicin resistance were significant. All parameters analysed demonstrated limited removal of resistant HPC or faecal indicator bacteria in the studied WWTP and a positive selective effect towards some of them, most often to ciprofloxacin. Full article

Japan is becoming a superaged society, and nutrition therapy for the elderly population is very important. Elderly individuals often have multiple diseases and are prone to malnutrition. Furthermore, functional constipation, diarrhoea, faecal incontinence, etc., may occur despite no organic abnormality of digestive tract function. Due to these disabilities, the resulting malnutrition, and the slow recovery, it is often difficult for elderly individuals to reintegrate into society. Secondary or incorrect nutritional management increases complications, decreases physical function and worsens the prognosis. Previous statistical research suggests that in-hospital mortality is significantly higher among hospitalised patients aged ≥65 years who ingest less than half of their caloric needs. Therefore, appropriate nutritional management from an early stage is essential for elderly individuals. Moreover, functional excretion disorders, dementia, and sarcopenia (muscle-wasting disease) are attracting attention as pathological conditions unique to elderly individuals, and it is essential to undergo rehabilitation early with nutritional management. Being elderly does not preclude nutritional management, and it is necessary to reconsider appropriate nutritional therapy even in the terminal stage and in advanced physical and mental illnesses. This review explores the relationship between dietary intake and FGIDs, with a focus on elderly adults. Full article

In this study, climate change and human impacts on water quality in five major urban areas of Pakistan, including Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Abbottabad, and Gilgit, were determined. Secondary data on various physical, chemical, and bacteriological water quality parameters were taken from published papers, reports, and theses. Surface and groundwater were the major sources of drinking water in these cities. The physicochemical parameters were total turbidity, pH, dissolved solids (TDS), sulphates, chlorides, calcium, sodium, HCO₃, potassium, magnesium, nitrates, fluorides, arsenic, and hardness. The bacteriological parameters were total coliform, total faecal coliform, and total plate counts. The data revealed that pH, TDS, fluoride, chloride, HCO₃, sodium, and hardness were above the limits in Karachi. MCB Market, Goth Ibrahim, and Malir Town were the main contaminated areas in Karachi. In Lahore, arsenic was found above the limits in all sampling locations. Turbidity, pH, HCO₃, calcium, magnesium, and hardness were found above the limits in Peshawar. In Gilgit city, all physicochemical parameters were found within the limits except turbidity, which was 10 NTU in Nomal valley. Nitrates were higher in the water sources in Abbottabad. Bacterial contamination was found in the water of all five cities. Most of the studies revealed that this contamination could be human-induced. The improper disposal of solid waste, sewage, and animal waste and the excessive use of fertilisers deteriorate the quality of the water. Precipitation, a rise in temperature, and seasonal variation are climate variables that affect water quality and are responsible for major outbreaks of waterborne diseases. There is an urgent need for regular analysis, proper management, and proper treatment of drinking water before it is supplied to the local community in these cities. Full article

Genetic variants of vaccine poliovirus type 2, imported from an unknown source, were detected in waste waters in Jerusalem, London and New York in early 2022. Wild poliovirus type 2 was globally eradicated in 1999, but vaccine virus type 2 continued for 16 more years; routine use of the vaccine was discontinued in 2016 and reintroduced occasionally on purpose. As an unintended consequence, type 2 vaccine virus variants (circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses, cVDPVs) that mimic wild viruses’ contagiousness and neurovirulence, have been emerging and spreading. To illustrate, in just the past four years (2018–2021), 2296 children developed cVDPV polio in 35 low-income countries. Many assume that virus transmission is via the faecal–oral route. Sustained virus transmission was documented in London and New York, in spite of high standards of sanitation and hygiene. Here, virus transmission cannot be attributed to faecal contamination of food or drinking water (for faecal–oral transmission). Hence, contagious transmission can only be explained by inhalation of droplets/aerosol containing virus shed in pharyngeal fluids (respiratory transmission), as was the classical teaching of polio epidemiology. If transmission efficiency of VDPV is via the respiratory route where hygiene is good, it stands to reason that it is the same case in countries with poor hygiene, since poor hygiene cannot be a barrier against respiratory transmission. By extrapolation, the extreme transmission efficiency of wild polioviruses must also have been due to their ability to exploit respiratory route transmission. These lessons have implications for global polio eradication. It was as a result of assuming faecal–oral transmission that eradication was attempted with live attenuated oral polio vaccine (OPV), ignoring its safety problems and very low efficacy in low-income countries. Inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) is completely safe and highly efficacious in protecting children against polio, with just three routine doses. Protecting all children from polio must be the interim goal of eradication, until poliovirus circulation dies out under sustained immunisation pressure. OPV should be discontinued under cover of immunity induced by IPV to stop the emergence of new lineages of VDPVs, not only type 2, but also types 1 and 3, to expedite the completion of polio eradication. Full article

When soils are phosphorus (P) deficient, external sources in the form of fertilisers have to be applied to increase crop yields. The world depends on mined sources for P fertilisers, and recent reports indicate that an increase in the human population has led to rising demand for P fertilisers, making its future supply uncertain. A low supply of chemical P fertilisers may lead to food insecurity. Although the efficacy of organic sources of P is unclear, organic waste materials containing P can potentially replace inorganic P sources. Previously, organic fertilisers have been used to supply N and even P, but the application rates were mostly N based, resulting in inconsistent and comparable results. This research was conducted to understand P mineralisation and the availability of the P-based organic fertilisers. The results showed that available P in the soil at 3 weeks accounted for 50%, 6 weeks accounted for 49%, and 9 weeks counted for 46% of the maize yield. The organic P sources maintained soil available P above the threshold available P value in Malawi. The P sources did not affect the maize P use efficiency (PUE). The results indicate that organic P sources could be used as an alternative fertiliser for maize production in Malawi. Full article

This study investigated the effect of locally available bulking agents on the faecal sludge (FS) composting process and quality of the final FS compost. Dewatered FS was mixed with sawdust, coffee husk and brewery waste, and composted on a pilot scale. The evolution of physical and chemical characteristics of the composting materials was monitored weekly. Results indicate that bulking agents have a statistically significant effect (p < 0.0001) on the evolution of composting temperatures, pH, electrical conductivity, nitrogen forms, organic matter mineralisation, total organic carbon, maturity indices, quality of the final compost and composting periods during FS composting. Our results suggest reliable maturity indices for mature and stable FS compost. From the resource recovery perspective, this study suggests sawdust as a suitable bulking agent for co-composting with FS—as it significantly reduced the organic matter losses and nitrogen losses (to 2.2%), and improved the plant growth index, thus improving the agronomic values of the final compost as a soil conditioner. FS co-composting can be considered a sustainable and decentralised treatment option for FS and other organic wastes in the rural and peri-urban communities, especially, where there is a strong practice of reusing organic waste in agriculture. Full article

Helminth infections of swine regain clinical and economic importance due to the increasing demand for pork from extensive husbandry. Infections with Trichuris suis in pigs can lead to wasting and diarrhoea. This was demonstrated by a case of clinical trichurosis on a conventional fattening farm, where pigs were kept on pasture. While all pre-fattening pigs, which had not been on the pasture yet, had a good body condition and firm faeces, diarrhoea and poor body condition were observed in approximately half of the fattening pigs kept on pasture. Rectally collected faecal samples from all animals were investigated using faecal flotation. High numbers of T. suis eggs were detected in 17 out of 32 faecal samples, while all samples from pre-fattening pigs were negative. The highest number of eggs per gram of faeces was 778,000. Two out of three environmental samples were also positive for T. suis in faecal flotation. This case demonstrates that T. suis must be considered as an enteropathogen in pigs kept on pasture, as favourable environmental conditions, and the lack of removal of faeces from a pasture can lead to the accumulation of large numbers of infective eggs in the pigs’ surroundings. Full article

Fish faeces are a crucial component of solid wastes from cage culture systems. In order to investigate the environmental impacts of faeces from channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) and bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis), certain biophysical characteristics during faecal sinking at three temperatures (10, 20 and 30 °C for winter, spring-autumn and summer conditions, respectively) were assessed in the present study. Settling velocities of faeces from channel catfish (1.72–13.33 cm/s) and bighead carp (4.16–13.83 cm/s) accelerated with an increase in water temperature. For channel catfish faeces, there were positive correlations between settling velocity and physical properties, i.e., weight, volume, length and diameter; however, for bighead carp faeces, no linear relationship between settling velocity and length was found. The main faecal water absorption period for these two species occurred after 2.5 min of immersion. The main leaching period of faecal carbon and nitrogen was 0–2.5 min, and the leaching period of faecal phosphorus was 0–10 min. The nutrient contents in channel catfish faeces were significantly higher than those in bighead carp faeces. These results suggest that co-culturing channel catfish with bighead carp can effectively reduce the discharge of nutrients from aquaculture. The biophysical properties of these two types of fish faeces can also provide guidance in particle waste collection. Full article

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are among the active metabolites in biological process both in the intestinal tract and the bioconversion of organic wastes, which has resulted in various human diseases and environmental problems. In order to accurately detect SCFAs, we introduced a novel extraction sorbent. Electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofiber membrane was synthesized, then poly (3, 4-Ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) was deposited onto the surface of electrospun PAN nanofibers by in situ polymerization. The morphology of the composite PAN/PEDOT nanofiber was characterized by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and FTIR spectrum. PAN/PEDOT was used to isolate and concentrate the SCFAs in waste water and fecal samples before gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. The analytical method was evaluated systematically, and low limits of detection (LODs) of 0.34–0.87 μg/L and good linearity (R² ≥ 0.9953) were obtained. The method was applied successfully for the determination of SCFAs in waste water and fecal samples, with good recovery (87.5–104.6%) and satisfactory reproducibility (relative standard deviation: 6.5–14.1%). The results indicated that the proposed method can be used as a potential approach for the determination of SCFAs with high sensitivity in waste water and biological samples. Full article

Shiga toxin-producing and extra-intestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) have the potential to spread through faecal waste, resulting in contamination of food and causing foodborne disease outbreaks. With the aim of characterizing unpasteurized ovine cheese in Slovakia, a total of 92 E. coli strains were examined for eleven representative virulence genes typical for (extra-)intestinal pathogenic E. coli and phylogenetic grouping. Phylogenetic groups B1 (36%) and A (32%) were the most dominant, followed by groups C (14%) and D (13%), while the lowest incidence was recorded for F (4%), and E (1%), and 43 (47%) samples carried at least one virulent gene, i.e., potential pathogens. Isolates present in groups E, F and D showed higher presence of virulence genes (100%, 75%, and 67%), versus 55%, 39%, and 28% in commensal B1, C, and A, respectively. Occurrence of papC and fyuA (both 24%) was highest, followed by tsh, iss, stx2, cnf1, kpsII, cvaC, stx1, iutA and eaeA. Nine E. coli strains (almost 10% of all tested and around 21% of our virulence-gene-associated isolates) harboured stx1, stx2 or eae. Ovine cheeses in Slovakia are highly contaminated with E. coli including potentially pathogenic strains capable of causing intestinal and/or extra-intestinal diseases, and thus may pose a threat to public health while unpasteurized. Full article

A number of studies have reported that there is a high prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant faecal bacteria excreted by dairy calves. Although faecal shedding is influenced by a variety of factors, such as the environment and calf age, feeding milk with antimicrobial residues contributes significantly to an increased prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacteria, such as extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing E. coli. As a follow-up to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Scientific Opinion on the risk of AMR development in dairy calves published in January 2017, this review aims to illustrate more recent research in this area, focusing on the period 2016 to 2020. A total of 19 papers are reviewed here. The vast majority assess the commensal faecal bacteria, E. coli, isolated from dairy calves, in particular its antimicrobial-resistant forms such as ESBL-producing E. coli and AmpC-producing E. coli. The effect of waste milk feeding on the prevalence of pathogens such as Salmonella spp. has also been investigated. Current research findings include positive effects on daily liveweight gain and other advantages for calf health from feeding waste milk compared to milk replacer. However, the negative effects, such as the demonstrable selection for antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, the shift in the intestinal microbiome and the possible negative consequences that these could have on global public health, should always be taken into consideration. Full article

Faecal sludge reuse could promote responsible waste management and alleviate resource shortages. However, for this reuse to be carried out at scale, it needs to be financially viable. This paper reviews the financial values of resource recovery from 112 data points from 43 publications from academic and grey literature. The results found 65% of the existing literature is projected rather than being based on observed data from products in practice, with limited studies providing actual experiences of revenue in practice. Some of the estimates of the potential value were ten times those observed in data from operating businesses. Reasons for this include pricing of products against unrealistic competitors, for example, pricing briquettes against diesel fuel, or difficulties in marketing or regulation of products in practice. The most common form of reuse in practice is agricultural composting, which is also the lowest value product. Few cases were able to achieve more than $5/person/year from sludge reuse, therefore other drivers are needed to promote proper human waste disposal, including the health and dignity of citizens, but which are not easily monetised. Certification and recognition of product safety can improve the perception of value and products. Resource recovery has a limited role in the financial viability of providing Circular Economy sanitation in low-income countries. Instead, there is a need to focus on supportive policies and subsidies enabling the transition towards a Circular Economy supporting environmental quality, ecological health and human health. Full article