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Heliyon Jun 2024Food and waterborne outbreaks are a neglected public health problem in India. However, it is important to identify the source of infection and the causative pathogen to...
Food and waterborne outbreaks are a neglected public health problem in India. However, it is important to identify the source of infection and the causative pathogen to curb the outbreak quickly and minimize mortality and morbidity. A retrospective descriptive study was conducted with a line list of 130 diarrheal cases. Epidemiological investigation and laboratory investigation were done. Data were collected from hospital case report forms as well as interviewed affected cases. A case of acute diarrheal disease was reported among the people in the village with abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea from December 31, 2022 to January 3, 2023. Out of a total of 130 recorded cases, 33 stool samples were collected and were positive for Enteroaggregative , 3a, and by cultural and molecular tests. The presumptive fecal pollution indicator assay indicated high coliform counts in the water samples (most probable number [MPN]-05) and the presence of . The identified pathogens showed susceptibility to gentamicin and meropenem. People who used public drinking water were found to be infected with acute diarrheal disease (ADD). Quick identification of the causative pathogens and their antimicrobial resistance pattern helped correct antibiotic prescriptions and quick recovery of the patients without any deaths. Thus, a timely implementation of food and waterborne outbreak investigation is crucial to saving lives and preventing the spread of infection.
PubMed: 38882280
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e31903 -
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Jun 2024Helicobacter pylori is a microorganism that infects 60% of the population and is considered the main cause of atrophic gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers, and...
Helicobacter pylori is a microorganism that infects 60% of the population and is considered the main cause of atrophic gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers, and gastric cancer. Different emerging pathogens have been found in drinking water and their presence is considered to be an important public health problem. For this reason, it is necessary to carry out the validation of reliable technologies for this type of pathogens and evaluate their performance. This paper reports, for the first time, H. pylori reduction in a drinking water pilot plant of two slow sand filters (SSF). Inlet water was taken from a gravel filtration system of a rural water supply in Colombia and then inoculated with viable cells of H. pylori. By determining the Genomic Units (GU) through quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR), the concentration of GU/sample was measured. In the inlet water amplification for SSF1 and SSF2 were 5.13 × 10 ± 4.48 × 10 and 6.59 × 10 ± 7.32 × 10, respectively, while for the treated water they were 7.0 ± 5.6 and 2.05 × 10 ± 2.9 × 10 GU/sample for SSF1 and SSF2, respectively. The SSF pilot plant reached up to 3 log reduction units of H. pylori; therefore, since there is not an H. pylori contamination indicator and its periodic monitoring is financially complicated, the SSF could guarantee the drinking water quality necessity that exists in rural areas and small municipalities in developing countries, where infection rates and prevalence of this pathogen are high.
Topics: Helicobacter pylori; Filtration; Drinking Water; Water Supply; Water Purification; Water Microbiology; Sand; Colombia
PubMed: 38878080
DOI: 10.1007/s10661-024-12764-2 -
Harmful Algae Jun 2024Sandusky Bay is the drowned mouth of the Sandusky River in the southwestern portion of Lake Erie. The bay is a popular recreation location and a regional source for...
Sandusky Bay is the drowned mouth of the Sandusky River in the southwestern portion of Lake Erie. The bay is a popular recreation location and a regional source for drinking water. Like the western basin of Lake Erie, Sandusky Bay is known for being host to summer cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cHABs) year after year, fueled by runoff from the predominantly agricultural watershed and internal loading of legacy nutrients (primarily phosphorus). Since at least 2003, Sandusky Bay has harbored a microcystin-producing bloom of Planktothrix agardhii, a species of filamentous cyanobacteria that thrives in low light conditions. Long-term sampling (2003-2018) of Sandusky Bay revealed regular Planktothrix-dominated blooms during the summer months, but in recent years (2019-2022), 16S rRNA gene community profiling revealed that Planktothrix has largely disappeared. From 2017-2022, microcystin decreased well below the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Spring TN:TP ratios increased in years following dam removal, yet there were no statistically significant shifts in other physicochemical variables, such as water temperature and water clarity. With the exception of the high bloom of Planktothrix in 2018, there was no statistical difference in chlorophyll during all other years. Concurrent with the disappearance of Planktothrix, Cyanobium spp. have become the dominant cyanobacterial group. The appearance of other potential toxigenic genera (i.e., Aphanizomenon, Dolichospermum, Cylindrospermopsis) may motivate monitoring of new toxins of concern in Sandusky Bay. Here, we document the regime shift in the cyanobacterial community and propose evidence supporting the hypothesis that the decline in the Planktothrix bloom was linked to the removal of an upstream dam on the Sandusky River.
Topics: Phytoplankton; Harmful Algal Bloom; Bays; Planktothrix; Microcystins; Environmental Monitoring; Seasons; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Cyanobacteria
PubMed: 38876531
DOI: 10.1016/j.hal.2024.102656 -
Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal =... May 2024Meningitis is still a major public health challenge globally. Both the viral and bacterial forms of the disease have been reported worldwide. In 2023, around 200...
BACKGROUND
Meningitis is still a major public health challenge globally. Both the viral and bacterial forms of the disease have been reported worldwide. In 2023, around 200 children with suspected meningitis were admitted to hospital in Halabja Governorate, Iraq. No outbreak of meningitis had been reported previously in that region.
AIMS
To investigate the aetiology and epidemiology of meningitis among children in Halabja Governorate, Iraq, and expedite clinical management and prevention.
METHODOLOGY
Blood and cerebrospinal fluid specimens were collected from 197 children admitted to Halabja Paediatric and Maternity Teaching Hospital from 1 March to 1 July 2023 and analysed. The sample t-test was used to compare the haematological, serological and biochemical characteristics of the samples.
RESULTS
The majority (76.6%) of the children were aged 2-9 years and 54% were males. The clinical manifestations of the disease were fever (100.0%), headache (89.0%), vomiting (85.7%), and photophobia (72.4%); none of the children had convulsions. The mean values for both neutrophil count and C-reactive protein were statistically significantly raised (P < 0.05) and the red blood cells, white blood cells and neutrophil counts, and lactate dehydrogenase values were statistically significantly raised (P < 0.05). The causative organism was enterovirus (98.5%), with sporadic cases of streptococcal meningitis (1.5%). All the patients recovered fully.
CONCLUSION
The rapid diagnosis of the disease was crucial to the therapeutic and prevention control measures for the outbreak. Although it is still unclear how and where this outbreak started, contaminated drinking water and transmission among children in nurseries and schools are suspected. Further investigations are recommended to determine the source of the enterovirus and identify the virus species and serotypes.
Topics: Humans; Iraq; Child; Child, Preschool; Male; Disease Outbreaks; Female; Meningitis, Viral; Adolescent; Infant; Meningitis, Bacterial
PubMed: 38874294
DOI: 10.26719/2024.30.5.350 -
Molecular Medicine Reports Aug 2024Chronic low‑grade inflammation defines obesity as a metabolic disorder. Alterations in the structure of gut flora are strongly associated with obesity. Lactoferrin...
Chronic low‑grade inflammation defines obesity as a metabolic disorder. Alterations in the structure of gut flora are strongly associated with obesity. Lactoferrin (LF) has a biological function in regulating intestinal flora. The present study aimed to investigate the therapeutic and anti‑-inflammatory effects of LF in obese mice based on intestinal flora. A total of 30 C57BL/6 mice were divided into three groups consisting of 10 mice each. Subsequently, one group was fed a normal diet (Group K), another group was fed a high‑fat diet (Group M) and the remaining group switched from regular drinking to drinking 2% LF water (Group Z2) after 2 weeks of high‑fat diet; all mice were fed for 12 weeks. After the experiment, the mouse blood lipid and lipopolysaccharide levels, levels of inflammatory factors and intestinal tight junction proteins were assessed. Mouse stool samples were analyzed using 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing. The results showed that LF reduced serum total cholesterol, triglycerides and low‑density lipoprotein levels, elevated high‑density lipoprotein levels, suppressed metabolic endotoxemia and attenuated chronic low‑grade inflammatory responses in obese mice. In addition, LF upregulated zonula occludens‑1 and occludin protein expression levels in the intestine, thereby improving intestinal barrier integrity. LF altered the intestinal microbial structure of obese mice, reduced the ratio of and an elevated ratio of , modifying the bacterial population to the increased relative abundance of and .
Topics: Animals; Lactoferrin; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Mice; Obesity; Male; Inflammation; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Diet, High-Fat; Mice, Obese; Occludin; Lipopolysaccharides
PubMed: 38873986
DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2024.13262 -
Water Research Aug 2024When assessing risk posed by waterborne pathogens in drinking water, it is common to use Monte Carlo simulations in Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA). This...
When assessing risk posed by waterborne pathogens in drinking water, it is common to use Monte Carlo simulations in Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA). This method accounts for the variables that affect risk and their different values in a given system. A common underlying assumption in such analyses is that all random variables are independent (i.e., one is not associated in any way with another). Although the independence assumption simplifies the analysis, it is not always correct. For example, treatment efficiency can depend on microbial concentrations if changes in microbial concentrations either affect treatment themselves or are associated with water quality changes that affect treatment (e.g., during/after climate shocks like extreme precipitation events or wildfires). Notably, the effects of erroneous assumptions of independence in QMRA have not been widely discussed. Due to the implications of drinking water safety decisions on public health protection, it is critical that risk models accurately reflect the context being studied to meaningfully support decision-making. This work illustrates how dependence between pathogen concentration and either treatment efficiency or water consumption can impact risk estimates using hypothetical scenarios of relevance to drinking water QMRA. It is shown that the mean and variance of risk estimates can change substantially with different degrees of correlation. Data from a water supply system in Calgary, Canada are also used to illustrate the effect of dependence on risk. Recognizing the difficulty of obtaining data to empirically assess dependence, a framework to guide evaluation of the effect of dependence is presented to enhance support for decision making. This work emphasizes the importance of acknowledging and discussing assumptions implicit to models.
Topics: Drinking Water; Risk Assessment; Monte Carlo Method; Decision Making; Water Microbiology; Water Supply; Models, Theoretical; Water Purification
PubMed: 38870891
DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121877 -
Environment International Jul 2024China produces and consumes a large amount of neonicotinoids. A non-negligible exposure to neonicotinoids might occur for Chinese pregnant women, but relevant data...
BACKGROUND
China produces and consumes a large amount of neonicotinoids. A non-negligible exposure to neonicotinoids might occur for Chinese pregnant women, but relevant data remain limited.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the exposure to neonicotinoids by urinary biomonitoring in pregnant women from Wenzhou City, East China.
METHODS
We selected 432 pregnant women in Wenzhou City in 2022. A total of eight parent neonicotinoids and four metabolites were determined in single spot urine by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Basic characteristics, physical activity, pre-pregnant body mass index, and intake of drinking water and food were investigated by the questionnaire. Health risk was assessed by hazard quotient (HQ) and hazard index (HI) based on human safety thresholds derived from different health endpoints.
RESULTS
Neonicotinoids and their metabolites in urine had a detection frequency between 0 % and 80.1 %. At least one neonicotinoid or metabolite was detected in 93.5 % of urine samples. Except for clothianidin (51.2 %) and N-desmethyl-acetamiprid (80.1 %), the detection frequencies of other neonicotinoids and metabolites ranged from 0 % to 43.8 %. The summed concentrations of all neonicotinoids and their metabolites ranged from < LOD to 222.83 μg/g creatinine with the median concentration of 2.58 μg/g creatinine. Maternal age, educational level, occupation, household income, screen time, and pre-pregnant body mass index were associated with detection frequencies or concentrations of neonicotinoids and their metabolites. Pregnant women with higher consumption frequencies of wheat, fresh vegetable, shellfish, fresh milk, and powdered milk had higher detection frequencies of neonicotinoids and their metabolites. Both HQ and HI were less than one.
CONCLUSIONS
Overall, pregnant women in Wenzhou City showed a notable frequency of exposure to at least one neonicotinoid, although the exposure frequency for each specific neonicotinoid was generally low. Several food items derived from plants and animals were potential exposure sources. A low health risk was found based on current safety thresholds.
Topics: Humans; Female; China; Biological Monitoring; Pregnancy; Neonicotinoids; Adult; Young Adult; Insecticides; Environmental Exposure; Cities
PubMed: 38870579
DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.108811 -
Brain Communications 2024Only some vulnerable individuals who recreationally drink alcohol eventually develop the compulsive drinking pattern that characterizes alcohol use disorder. A new...
Only some vulnerable individuals who recreationally drink alcohol eventually develop the compulsive drinking pattern that characterizes alcohol use disorder. A new frontier in biomedical research lies in understanding the neurobehavioural mechanisms of this individual vulnerability, a necessary step towards developing novel effective therapeutic strategies. Translational research has been hindered by the lack of valid, reliable and robust approaches that enable the study of the influence of the reliance on alcohol to cope with stress or self-medicate negative emotional states on the subsequent transition to alcohol use disorder. We have therefore developed a behavioural task in the rat that enables the investigation of the neural and cellular basis of the exacerbation of the vulnerability to develop compulsive alcohol drinking by the use of alcohol to develop an adjunctive, anxiolytic, polydipsic drinking behaviour in a schedule-induced polydipsia procedure. Hence, in our task, alcohol is introduced in the schedule-induced polydipsia context after several weeks of training with water so that rats are exposed to alcohol for the first time in a distressing context and learn to drink alcohol as a coping strategy. Capitalizing on this protocol, we have consistently been able to identify a subpopulation of rats that were unable to learn to cope with negative states by drinking water and relied on alcohol to do so. This maladaptive reliance on alcohol drinking to cope with distress has been shown to be associated with an exacerbation of the subsequent transition to compulsive drinking. Furthermore, these vulnerable rats reached blood alcohol levels comparable to that of intoxication in humans, thereby developing two key features of alcohol use disorder, namely excessive alcohol intake and compulsive drinking. Altogether, this behavioural task provides a novel and unique tool for the investigation of the neurobehavioural mechanisms underlying the exacerbation of the individual vulnerability to developing compulsive alcohol drinking by the use of alcohol as a strategy to cope with distress, and for the evaluation of the efficacy of potential therapeutic strategies in a personalized medicine approach. This procedure, which focuses on an understudied but key factor of the development of alcohol use disorder, may become widely used as it benefits the fields of alcohol, emotion regulation and stress, the interest in which has substantially increased since the evidence of a profound exacerbation of alcohol use and alcohol-related negative consequences by the distress and social isolation engendered by the various measures implemented worldwide in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
PubMed: 38868300
DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcae169 -
Poultry Science May 2024The widespread use of antibiotics in the poultry industry as growth promoters has led to the emergence of bacterial resistance, which poses a significant health risk to...
The widespread use of antibiotics in the poultry industry as growth promoters has led to the emergence of bacterial resistance, which poses a significant health risk to humans and animals. Substances of natural origin, such as probiotic bacteria and humic substances, can be a promising solution. The aim of this experiment was to study the effect of the administration of a probiotic strain of Limosilactobacillus fermentum 2i3 and/or a new formula of humic substances specifically designed for detoxification on the production parameters, including gene expression of myogenic growth factors and selected parameters of the immune response. We found that production parameters such as feed conversion ratio and weekly weight gain, as well as gene expression of mucin-2 and immunoglobulin A, were positively influenced mainly by the administration of L. fermentum 2i3. Similarly, the percentage of active phagocytes and their absorption capacity as well as the proportions of CD8+ and CD4+CD8+ T-lymphocyte subpopulations were significantly increased. The addition of humic substances, either alone or in combination with probiotics, significantly reduced the aforementioned parameters compared to the control. On the other hand, the relative gene expression for all myogenic growth factors was the highest in the humic group alone. Based on the results obtained, we can confirm the immunostimulating effect of L. fermentum 2i3 administered in drinking water, which also had an impact on important production parameters of broiler meat. On the other hand, in the combined group there was no expected potentiation of the positive effects on the observed parameters.
PubMed: 38865771
DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2024.103884 -
Environmental Health Insights 2024Water quality issues in Ethiopia necessitate the implementation of the Water Safety Plan (WSP) to safeguard drinking water. Despite its benefits, WSP implementation is...
Water quality issues in Ethiopia necessitate the implementation of the Water Safety Plan (WSP) to safeguard drinking water. Despite its benefits, WSP implementation is underutilized, a situation exacerbated by urbanization, agriculture, pollution, and climate change. This study evaluated water supply system vulnerability and delineated protection zones in the Upper Awash River subbasin. By employing the DRASTIC model, the National WASH Inventory-2 (NWI-2), and qualitative methods, this research aims to integrate the NWI-2 with vulnerability assessments. The study revealed that, among 2864 schemes, only 14.4% had a water safety plan, while 20.7% practiced water safety, and 6% reported the occurrence of waterborne diseases. Over 39.23% of the schemes were in high vulnerability areas, 12.32% were in very high vulnerability areas, and only 8% were in low vulnerability areas. The validation revealed a 61.7% association between the vulnerability indices and nitrate concentration. The strengths of the strategy included coordination and guideline development, but challenges such as institutionalization, catchment protection, the legal framework, and climate information remain for the Water Safety Plan. To promote public health, these findings help to demonstrate and integrate the NWI-2 with vulnerability assessments to protect drinking water sources. The conclusion also calls for all concerned authorities to implement water source protection, emphasizing the use of GIS technology and the adoption of integrated watershed management practices, which encompass regulatory control and conservation strategies. Furthermore, more research on the pollutant time of travel, assimilation capacity, and land use priorities is needed to delineate specific protection zones.
PubMed: 38863687
DOI: 10.1177/11786302241258349