Masangkay, Frederick, Milanez, Giovanni, Tsiami, Amalia ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1122-4814, Hapan, Freida, Somsak, Voravuth, Kotepui, Manas Kotepui, Tangpong, Jitbanjong and Karanis, Panagiotis (2020) Waterborne protozoan pathogens in environmental aquatic biofilms: implications for water quality assessment strategies. Environmental Pollution, 259. ISSN 0269-7491

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Abstract

Biofilms containing pathogenic organisms from the water supply are a potential source of protozoan parasite outbreaks and a general public health concern. The aim of the present study was to demonstrate the simultaneous and multispatial occurrence of waterborne protozoan pathogens (WBPP) in substrate-associated biofilms (SAB) and compare it to surface water (SW) and sediments with bottom water (BW) counterparts using manual filtration and elution from low-volume samples. For scenario purposes, simulated environmental biofilm contamination was created from in-situ grown one-month-old SAB (OM-SAB) that were spiked with Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts. Samples were collected from the largest freshwater reservoirs in Luzon, Philippines and a University Lake in Thailand. A total of 69 samples (23 SAB, 23 SW, and 23 BW) were evaluated using traditional staining techniques for Cryptosporidium, and immunofluorescence staining for the simultaneous detection of Cryptosporidium and Giardia. In the present study, WBPP was found in 43% SAB, 39% SW, and 39% BW samples tested with SAB results reflecting SW and BW results. Further, the potential and advantages of using low-volume sampling for the detection of parasite (oo)cysts in aquatic matrices were also demonstrated. Scanning electron microscopy of OM-SAB revealed a naturally-associated testate amoeba shell, while Cryptosporidium oocysts spiked samples provided a visual profile of what can be expected from naturally contaminated biofilms. This study provides the first evidence for the simultaneous and multi-spatial occurrence of waterborne protozoan pathogens in low-volume environmental aquatic matrices and warrants SAB testing along with SW and BW matrices for improved water quality assessment strategies (iWQAS).

Item Type:	Article
Identifier:	10.1016/j.envpol.2019.113903
Additional Information:	This study was financially supported by The Walailak University Graduate Studies Research Fund Contract No. 24/2562 awarded to FRM.
Keywords:	Asia; biofilms; Cryptosporidium; Giardia; lakes
Subjects:	Hospitality and tourism > Culinary arts > Food service operations Hospitality and tourism > Culinary arts > Food studies Medicine and health > Microbiology
Depositing User:	Amalia Tsiami
Date Deposited:	02 Jan 2020 13:03
Last Modified:	06 Feb 2024 16:01
URI:	https://repository.uwl.ac.uk/id/eprint/6661

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