Detection rates of waterborne protozoa in water sources from Fayoum Governorate | ||||
Parasitologists United Journal | ||||
Article 4, Volume 10, 1-2, December 2017, Page 30-38 PDF (1020.18 K) | ||||
Document Type: Original Article | ||||
DOI: 10.21608/PUJ.2017.4734 | ||||
View on SCiNiTO | ||||
Authors | ||||
Thabet Sakran1; Gamal El-Shahawy1; Maisa Shalaby2; Hoda Sabry2; Pessant Matooq3; Almahy Elmallah1 | ||||
1Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Beni Swef University, Beni Swef, Egypt | ||||
2Theodor Bilharz Research Institute, Imbaba, Giza, Egypt | ||||
3Central Laboratory, Fayoum Drinking Water and Wastewater Company, Fayoum, Egypt | ||||
Abstract | ||||
Background: Waterborne protozoal infections are common health problems in many parts of the world especially in developing countries. Water is a major vehicle for transmission of protozoa such as G. lamblia, Cryptosporidium spp. as well as pathogenic and opportunistic free living amoeba (FLA). Objective: This study aims to detect the presence of protozoal agents in tap water and storage water tanks at Fayoum Governorate, Egypt. Material and Methods: A total of ninety five water samples were collected from different water sources, taps (65) and tanks (30), from 6 Fayoum districts. The samples were processed to detect the presence of G. lamblia cysts by Lugol’s iodine stain, Cryptosporidium oocysts by modified Ziehl-Neelsen stain and FLA by cultivation. After cultivation, Acanthamoeba spp. were identified according to their morphological features and flagellation test was performed to detect amoeboflagellates. Results: All water samples collected from tanks (100%) were contaminated by protozoa of medical importance, while only 6 (9.2%) of the tap water samples were pathogen free. The majority of water samples were contaminated with mixed protozoal infections. The overall detection rates of contaminants in water sources were 86.3%, 52.6%, 13.7% by FLA, Cryptosporidium spp. and G. lamblia, respectively. Conclusions: The recorded detection rates of waterborne protozoa present a hazard to the community resulting in silent morbidities and mortalities. It is strongly recommended to adopt proper water safety measures. | ||||
Keywords | ||||
Cryptosporidium spp; Drinking water; Egypt; Fayoum Governorate; free living amoebae; G. lamblia | ||||
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