Prevalence, characteristics and correlates of enteric pathogenic protozoa in drinking water sources in Molyko and Bomaka, Cameroon: a cross-sectional study
| Autor: | Julius Atashili, Buh Amos Wung, Fuh Anold Nsoh, Eba Marvlyn, Pokam Thumamo Benjamin, Keumami Katte Ivo, Assob Jules Clément Nguedia |
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| Předmět: |
0301 basic medicine
Microbiology (medical) Veterinary medicine 030106 microbiology 030231 tropical medicine Water supply Cryptosporidium Fresh Water Microbiology 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Water Supply parasitic diseases medicine Prevalence Humans Cameroon Turbidity Water pollution Enteric pathogenic protozoa biology business.industry Drinking Water Water Pollution Waterborne diseases Buea medicine.disease biology.organism_classification Cryptosporidium parvum Cross-Sectional Studies Parasitology Protozoa business Research Article |
| Zdroj: | BASE-Bielefeld Academic Search Engine BMC Microbiology |
| Popis: | Background Access to potable water remains a major challenge particularly in resource-limited settings. Although the potential contaminants of water are varied, enteric pathogenic protozoa are known to cause waterborne diseases greatly. This study aimed at investigating the prevalence, characteristics and correlates of enteric pathogenic protozoa in drinking water sources in Buea, Cameroon. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted using 155 water samples collected from various drinking sources (boreholes, springs, taps and wells). Each sample was subjected to physicochemical examinations (pH, turbidity, odour and sliminess) and parasitological analysis (wet mount, modified Ziehl-Neelsen stain) to determine the presence of enteric pathogenic protozoa. A data collection tool was used to note characteristics of collected samples and the data was analysed using EPI-INFO Version 3.5.3. Results The overall prevalence of enteric pathogenic protozoa in water sources was 62.6 %. Eight species of enteric protozoa were observed with Cryptosporidium parvum being the most predominant (45.8 %). Spring water was the most contaminated source with enteric protozoa (85.7 %) while pipe borne water had all eight species of protozoa identified. A pH of 6 was the only significant factor associated with the prevalence of these pathogens in water sources. Conclusion The prevalence of enteric protozoa in water sources in Molyko and Bomaka is high, spring water is the most contaminated water source and Cryptosporidium parvum is the most common protozoa contaminating water. A water pH of 6 is associated to the prevalence of protozoa. Community members need to be educated to treat water before drinking to avoid infection by enteric protozoa in water and further studies with larger samples of water need to be conducted to find other correlates of the presence of protozoa in water. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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