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Poopedi E, Singh T, Gomba A. Potential Exposure to Respiratory and Enteric Bacterial Pathogens among Wastewater Treatment Plant Workers, South Africa. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:4338. [PMID: 36901349 PMCID: PMC10002314 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20054338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater handling has been associated with an increased risk of developing adverse health effects, including respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses. However, there is a paucity of information in the literature, and occupational health risks are not well quantified. Grab influent samples were analysed using Illumina Miseq 16S amplicon sequencing to assess potential worker exposure to bacterial pathogens occurring in five municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The most predominant phyla were Bacteroidota, Campilobacterota, Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Desulfobacterota, accounting for 85.4% of the total bacterial community. Taxonomic analysis showed a relatively low diversity of bacterial composition of the predominant genera across all WWTPs, indicating a high degree of bacterial community stability in the influent source. Pathogenic bacterial genera of human health concern included Mycobacterium, Coxiella, Escherichia/Shigella, Arcobacter, Acinetobacter, Streptococcus, Treponema, and Aeromonas. Furthermore, WHO-listed inherently resistant opportunistic bacterial genera were identified. These results suggest that WWTP workers may be occupationally exposed to several bacterial genera classified as hazardous biological agents for humans. Therefore, there is a need for comprehensive risk assessments to ascertain the actual risks and health outcomes among WWTP workers and inform effective intervention strategies to reduce worker exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evida Poopedi
- National Institute for Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa
| | - Tanusha Singh
- National Institute for Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa
- Department of Environmental Health, University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein 2028, South Africa
| | - Annancietar Gomba
- National Institute for Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa
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2
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Ferguson M, Hsu CK, Grim C, Kauffman M, Jarvis K, Pettengill JB, Babu US, Harrison LM, Li B, Hayford A, Balan KV, Freeman JP, Rajashekara G, Lipp EK, Rozier RS, Zimeri AM, Burall LS. A longitudinal study to examine the influence of farming practices and environmental factors on pathogen prevalence using structural equation modeling. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1141043. [PMID: 37089556 PMCID: PMC10117993 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1141043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The contamination of fresh produce with foodborne pathogens has been an on-going concern with outbreaks linked to these commodities. Evaluation of farm practices, such as use of manure, irrigation water source, and other factors that could influence pathogen prevalence in the farming environment could lead to improved mitigation strategies to reduce the potential for contamination events. Soil, water, manure, and compost were sampled from farms in Ohio and Georgia to identify the prevalence of Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes (Lm), Campylobacter, and Shiga-toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), as well as Arcobacter, an emerging human pathogen. This study investigated agricultural practices to determine which influenced pathogen prevalence, i.e., the percent positive samples. These efforts identified a low prevalence of Salmonella, STEC, and Campylobacter in soil and water (< 10%), preventing statistical modeling of these pathogens. However, Lm and Arcobacter were found in soil (13 and 7%, respectively), manure (49 and 32%, respectively), and water samples (18 and 39%, respectively) at a comparatively higher prevalence, suggesting different dynamics are involved in their survival in the farm environment. Lm and Arcobacter prevalence data, soil chemical characteristics, as well as farm practices and weather, were analyzed using structural equation modeling to identify which factors play a role, directly or indirectly, on the prevalence of these pathogens. These analyses identified an association between pathogen prevalence and weather, as well as biological soil amendments of animal origin. Increasing air temperature increased Arcobacter and decreased Lm. Lm prevalence was found to be inversely correlated with the use of surface water for irrigation, despite a high Lm prevalence in surface water suggesting other factors may play a role. Furthermore, Lm prevalence increased when the microbiome's Simpson's Diversity Index decreased, which occurred as soil fertility increased, leading to an indirect positive effect for soil fertility on Lm prevalence. These results suggest that pathogen, environment, and farm management practices, in addition to produce commodities, all need to be considered when developing mitigation strategies. The prevalence of Arcobacter and Lm versus the other pathogens suggests that multiple mitigation strategies may need to be employed to control these pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martine Ferguson
- Office of Analytics and Outreach, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Chiun-Kang Hsu
- Office of Applied Safety and Research Assessment, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Laurel, MD, United States
| | - Christopher Grim
- Office of Applied Safety and Research Assessment, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Laurel, MD, United States
| | - Michael Kauffman
- Center for Food Animal Health, The Ohio State University, Wooster, OH, United States
| | - Karen Jarvis
- Office of Applied Safety and Research Assessment, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Laurel, MD, United States
| | - James B. Pettengill
- Office of Analytics and Outreach, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Uma S. Babu
- Office of Applied Safety and Research Assessment, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Laurel, MD, United States
| | - Lisa M. Harrison
- Office of Applied Safety and Research Assessment, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Laurel, MD, United States
| | - Baoguang Li
- Office of Applied Safety and Research Assessment, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Laurel, MD, United States
| | - Alice Hayford
- Office of Applied Safety and Research Assessment, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Laurel, MD, United States
| | - Kannan V. Balan
- Office of Applied Safety and Research Assessment, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Laurel, MD, United States
| | - Josefina P. Freeman
- Office of Applied Safety and Research Assessment, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Laurel, MD, United States
| | - Gireesh Rajashekara
- Center for Food Animal Health, The Ohio State University, Wooster, OH, United States
| | - Erin K. Lipp
- Department of Environmental Health Science, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Ralph Scott Rozier
- Department of Environmental Health Science, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Anne Marie Zimeri
- Department of Environmental Health Science, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Laurel S. Burall
- Office of Applied Safety and Research Assessment, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Laurel, MD, United States
- *Correspondence: Laurel S. Burall,
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Amarasiri M, Takezawa T, Malla B, Furukawa T, Sherchand JB, Haramoto E, Sei K. Prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes in drinking and environmental water sources of the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:894014. [PMID: 36071971 PMCID: PMC9441849 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.894014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria-associated infections are responsible for more than 1.2 million annual deaths worldwide. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the consumption of antibiotics for human and veterinary uses is not regulated effectively. Overused and misused antibiotics can end up in aquatic environments, which may act as a conduit for antibiotic resistance dissemination. However, data on the prevalence of antibiotic resistance determinants in aquatic environments are still limited for LMICs. In this study, we evaluated the prevalence and concentration of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in different drinking and environmental water sources collected from the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, using droplet digital polymerase chain reaction to understand the current situation of ARG contamination. River water and shallow dug well water sources were the most contaminated with ARGs. Almost all samples contained sul1 (94%), and intI1 and tet(A) were detected in 83 and 60% of the samples, respectively. Maximum ARG concentration varied between 4.2 log10 copies/100 ml for mecA and 9.3 log10 copies/100 ml for sul1. Significant positive correlations were found between ARGs (r > 0.5, p < 0.01), except for mecA, qnrS, and vanA. As sul1 and intI1 were detected in almost all samples, the presence of these genes in a given sample may need to be considered as background antibiotic resistance in LMICs. Therefore, monitoring of ARGs, such as β-lactam ARGs, quinolone resistance genes, and vancomycin resistance genes, may provide a better picture of the antibiotic resistance determinants in aquatic environments of LMICs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohan Amarasiri
- Laboratory of Environmental Hygiene, School of Allied Health Sciences, Kitasato University, Sagamihara, Japan,*Correspondence: Mohan Amarasiri,
| | - Tsubasa Takezawa
- Laboratory of Environmental Hygiene, School of Allied Health Sciences, Kitasato University, Sagamihara, Japan
| | - Bikash Malla
- Interdisciplinary Center for River Basin Environment, University of Yamanashi, Kofu, Japan
| | - Takashi Furukawa
- Laboratory of Environmental Hygiene, School of Allied Health Sciences, Kitasato University, Sagamihara, Japan
| | - Jeevan B. Sherchand
- Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Eiji Haramoto
- Interdisciplinary Center for River Basin Environment, University of Yamanashi, Kofu, Japan
| | - Kazunari Sei
- Laboratory of Environmental Hygiene, School of Allied Health Sciences, Kitasato University, Sagamihara, Japan
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A Review on the Prevalence of Arcobacter in Aquatic Environments. WATER 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/w14081266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Arcobacter is an emerging pathogen that is associated with human and animal diseases. Since its first introduction in 1991, 33 Arcobacter species have been identified. Studies have reported that with the presence of Arcobacter in environmental water bodies, animals, and humans, a possibility of its transmission via water and food makes it a potential waterborne and foodborne pathogen. Therefore, this review article focuses on the general characteristics of Arcobacter, including its pathogenicity, antimicrobial resistance, methods of detection by cultivation and molecular techniques, and its presence in water, fecal samples, and animal products worldwide. These detection methods include conventional culture methods, and rapid and accurate Arcobacter identification at the species level, using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and multiplex PCR. Arcobacter has been identified worldwide from feces of various hosts, such as humans, cattle, pigs, sheep, horses, dogs, poultry, and swine, and also from meat, dairy products, carcasses, buccal cavity, and cloacal swabs. Furthermore, Arcobacter has been detected in groundwater, river water, wastewater (influent and effluent), canals, treated drinking water, spring water, and seawater. Hence, we propose that understanding the prevalence of Arcobacter in environmental water and fecal-source samples and its infection of humans and animals will contribute to a better strategy to control and prevent the survival and growth of the bacteria.
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The Prevalence of Arcobacteraceae in Aquatic Environments: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11020244. [PMID: 35215187 PMCID: PMC8880612 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11020244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Members of the family Arcobacteraceae are distributed widely in aquatic environments, and some of its species have been associated with human and animal illness. However, information about the diversity and distribution of Arcobacteraceae in different water bodies is still limited. In order to better characterize the health risk posed by members in the family Arcobacteraceae, a systematic review and meta-analysis-based method was used to investigate the prevalence of Arcobacteraceae species in aquatic environments based on available data published worldwide. The database search was performed using related keywords and considering studies up to February 2021. The pooled prevalence in aquatic environments was 69.2%, ranging from 0.6 to 99.9%. These bacteria have a wide geographical distribution, being found in diverse aquatic environments with the highest prevalence found in raw sewage and wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), followed by seawater, surface water, ground water, processing water from food processing plants and water for human consumption. Assessing the effectiveness of treatments in WWTP in eliminating this contamination, it was found that the wastewater treatment may not be efficient in the removal of Arcobacteraceae. Among the analyzed Arcobacteraceae species, Al. butzleri was the most frequently found species. These results highlight the high prevalence and distribution of Arcobacteraceae in different aquatic environments, suggesting a risk to human health. Further, it exposes the importance of identifying and managing the sources of contamination and taking preventive actions to reduce the burden of members of the Arcobacteraceae family.
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Bell RL, Kase JA, Harrison LM, Balan KV, Babu U, Chen Y, Macarisin D, Kwon HJ, Zheng J, Stevens EL, Meng J, Brown EW. The Persistence of Bacterial Pathogens in Surface Water and Its Impact on Global Food Safety. Pathogens 2021; 10:1391. [PMID: 34832547 PMCID: PMC8617848 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10111391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Water is vital to agriculture. It is essential that the water used for the production of fresh produce commodities be safe. Microbial pathogens are able to survive for extended periods of time in water. It is critical to understand their biology and ecology in this ecosystem in order to develop better mitigation strategies for farmers who grow these food crops. In this review the prevalence, persistence and ecology of four major foodborne pathogens, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), Salmonella, Campylobacter and closely related Arcobacter, and Listeria monocytogenes, in water are discussed. These pathogens have been linked to fresh produce outbreaks, some with devastating consequences, where, in a few cases, the contamination event has been traced to water used for crop production or post-harvest activities. In addition, antimicrobial resistance, methods improvements, including the role of genomics in aiding in the understanding of these pathogens, are discussed. Finally, global initiatives to improve our knowledge base of these pathogens around the world are touched upon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca L. Bell
- Office of Regulatory Science, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD 20740, USA; (J.A.K.); (Y.C.); (D.M.); (H.J.K.); (J.Z.); (E.W.B.)
| | - Julie A. Kase
- Office of Regulatory Science, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD 20740, USA; (J.A.K.); (Y.C.); (D.M.); (H.J.K.); (J.Z.); (E.W.B.)
| | - Lisa M. Harrison
- Office of Applied Research and Safety Assessment, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, Laurel, MD 20708, USA; (L.M.H.); (K.V.B.); (U.B.)
| | - Kannan V. Balan
- Office of Applied Research and Safety Assessment, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, Laurel, MD 20708, USA; (L.M.H.); (K.V.B.); (U.B.)
| | - Uma Babu
- Office of Applied Research and Safety Assessment, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, Laurel, MD 20708, USA; (L.M.H.); (K.V.B.); (U.B.)
| | - Yi Chen
- Office of Regulatory Science, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD 20740, USA; (J.A.K.); (Y.C.); (D.M.); (H.J.K.); (J.Z.); (E.W.B.)
| | - Dumitru Macarisin
- Office of Regulatory Science, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD 20740, USA; (J.A.K.); (Y.C.); (D.M.); (H.J.K.); (J.Z.); (E.W.B.)
| | - Hee Jin Kwon
- Office of Regulatory Science, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD 20740, USA; (J.A.K.); (Y.C.); (D.M.); (H.J.K.); (J.Z.); (E.W.B.)
| | - Jie Zheng
- Office of Regulatory Science, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD 20740, USA; (J.A.K.); (Y.C.); (D.M.); (H.J.K.); (J.Z.); (E.W.B.)
| | - Eric L. Stevens
- Office of the Center Director, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD 20740, USA;
| | - Jianghong Meng
- Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Center for Food Safety and Security Systems, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA;
| | - Eric W. Brown
- Office of Regulatory Science, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD 20740, USA; (J.A.K.); (Y.C.); (D.M.); (H.J.K.); (J.Z.); (E.W.B.)
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Improved culture enrichment broth for isolation of Arcobacter-like species from the marine environment. Sci Rep 2020; 10:14547. [PMID: 32884057 PMCID: PMC7471115 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-71442-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Arcobacter-like species are found associated with many matrices, including shellfish in marine environments. The culture media and conditions play a major role in the recovery of new Arcobacter-like species. This study was aimed to develop a culture media for isolation and enhanced growth of Arcobacter-like spp. from marine and shellfish matrices. For this purpose, 14 different Arcobacter-like spp. mostly isolated from shellfish, were grown in 24 different formulations of enrichment broths. The enrichment broths consisted of five main groups based on the organic contents (fresh oyster homogenate, lyophilized oyster either alone or in combination with other standard media), combined with artificial seawater (ASW) or 2.5% NaCl. Optical density (OD420nm) measurements after every 24 h were compared with the growth in control media (Arcobacter broth) in parallel. The mean and standard deviation were calculated for each species in each broth and statistical differences (p < 0.05) among broths were calculated by ANOVA. The results indicated that shellfish-associated Arcobacter-like species growth was significantly higher in Arcobacter broth + 50% ASW and the same media supplemented with lyophilized oysters. This is the first study to have used fresh or lyophilized oyster flesh in the enrichment broth for isolation of shellfish-associated Arcobacter-like spp.
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