Advances in Waterborne Pathogens

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2023) | Viewed by 6378

Special Issue Editor

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Miyazaki, Gakuen Kibanadai-Nishi 1-1, Miyazaki 889-2192, Japan
Interests: conservation of water environment; public health; water quality; water treatment; environmental microorganisms

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Waterborne diseases are the most important and urgent health risk for all people around the world, whether in developed or developing countries. Pathogens that cause waterborne infectious diseases are incredibly diverse and range from viruses, bacteria, and protozoans, and there is still a great lack of information and knowledge needed to take appropriate measures. The greatest obstacles that make it difficult to control waterborne diseases are the extremely diverse and low concentrations of pathogens in the water environment, and the overwhelmingly low abundance compared to non-pathogens. At present, however, the development of techniques for the detection of waterborne pathogens, especially virus concentration and detection methods, is remarkable. In addition, sequencing equipment and analysis methods can acquire enormous amounts of genetic information from a very small amount of DNA. This is an opportunity to obtain information for formulating strategies for taking measures against waterborne diseases. Therefore, this Special Issue titled “Advances in Waterborne Pathogens” focuses on a wide range of pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, and protozoans related to the water environment. Yielded by field surveys in each region, information on the actual state of pathogenic microorganisms (e.g., species, pollution source, distribution, concentration, survivability, and fate) is very beneficial. Basic information on genes, such as pathogen-related genes and pathogen expression and transmission, is also essential. In this Special Issue we intend to collect the latest information and knowledge related to waterborne pathogens, and to disseminate this knowledge to an international audience.

Prof. Dr. Yoshihiro Suzuki
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • public health
  • epidemiology
  • environmental pollution
  • water sources
  • pathogen monitoring
  • virulence genes
  • detection
  • opportunistic pathogens
  • antimicrobial-resistant pathogens
  • disinfection

Published Papers (4 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

15 pages, 4040 KiB  
Article
Growth and Decay of Fecal Indicator Bacteria and Changes in the Coliform Composition on the Top Surface Sand of Coastal Beaches during the Rainy Season
by Soichiro Tamai, Hiroshi Shimamoto, Kei Nukazawa and Yoshihiro Suzuki
Microorganisms 2023, 11(4), 1074; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11041074 - 20 Apr 2023
Viewed by 1329
Abstract
High counts of bacteria are present in beach sand, and human health threats attributable to contact with sand have been reported. In this study, we investigated fecal indicator bacteria in the top surface sand of coastal beaches. Monitoring investigations were performed during a [...] Read more.
High counts of bacteria are present in beach sand, and human health threats attributable to contact with sand have been reported. In this study, we investigated fecal indicator bacteria in the top surface sand of coastal beaches. Monitoring investigations were performed during a monsoon when rainfall occurs randomly, and the composition of the coliforms was analyzed. The coliform count in the top surface sand (depth < 1 cm) increased by approximately 100 fold (26–2.23 × 103 CFU/100 g) with increasing water content because of precipitation. The composition of the coliforms in the top surface sand changed within 24 h of rainfall, with Enterobacter comprising more than 40% of the coliforms. Estimation of factors that changed the bacterial counts and composition revealed that coliform counts tended to increase with increasing water content in the top surface sand. However, the abundance of Enterobacter was independent of the sand surface temperature and water content. Coliform counts in the top surface sand rapidly increased and the composition showed remarkable variations because of the supply of water to the beach following rainfall. Among them, some bacteria with suspected pathogenicity were present. Controlling bacteria in coastal beaches is important for improving public health for beachgoers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Waterborne Pathogens)
Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 3588 KiB  
Article
Pepper Mild Mottle Virus as a Potential Indicator of Fecal Contamination in Influents of Wastewater Treatment Plants in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
by Saleh Eifan, Khalid Maniah, Islam Nour, Atif Hanif, Mohamed Taha Yassin, Ibrahim Al-Ashkar and Islem Abid
Microorganisms 2023, 11(4), 1038; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11041038 - 15 Apr 2023
Viewed by 1426
Abstract
Several indicators of fecal pollution in water resources are continuously monitored for their reliability and, of particular interest, their correlation to human enteric viruses—not justified by traditional bacterial indicators. Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) has recently been proposed as a successful viral surrogate [...] Read more.
Several indicators of fecal pollution in water resources are continuously monitored for their reliability and, of particular interest, their correlation to human enteric viruses—not justified by traditional bacterial indicators. Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) has recently been proposed as a successful viral surrogate of human waterborne viruses; however, in Saudi Arabia there are no available data in terms of its prevalence and concentration in water bodies. The concentration of PMMoV in three different wastewater treatment plants (King Saud University (KSU), Manfoha (MN), and Embassy (EMB) wastewater treatment plants (WWTP)) was measured using qRT-PCR during a one-year period and compared to the human adenovirus (HAdV), which is highly persistent and considered an indicator for viral-mediated fecal contamination. PMMoV was found in ~94% of the entire wastewater samples (91.6–100%), with concentrations ranging from 62 to 3.5 × 107 genome copies/l (GC/l). However, HAdV was detected in 75% of raw water samples (~67–83%). The HAdV concentration ranged between 1.29 × 103 GC/L and 1.26 × 107 GC/L. Higher positive correlation between PMMoV and HAdV concentrations was detected at MN-WWTP (r = 0.6148) than at EMB-WWTP (r = 0.207). Despite the lack of PMMoV and HAdV seasonality, a higher positive correlation (r = 0.918) of PMMoV to HAdV was recorded at KSU-WWTP in comparison to EMB-WWTP (r = 0.6401) around the different seasons. Furthermore, meteorological factors showed no significant influence on PMMoV concentrations (p > 0.05), thus supporting the use of PMMoV as a possible fecal indicator of wastewater contamination and associated public health issues, particularly at MN-WWTP. However, a continuous monitoring of the PMMoV distribution pattern and concentration in other aquatic environments, as well as its correlation to other significant human enteric viruses, is essential for ensuring its reliability and reproducibility as a fecal pollution indicator. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Waterborne Pathogens)
Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 2917 KiB  
Article
Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecium Sterilization and Conductivity Change by Impulse Voltage
by Takahisa Ueno, Takashi Furukawa and Takashi Sakugawa
Microorganisms 2023, 11(2), 517; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11020517 - 17 Feb 2023
Viewed by 1223
Abstract
Owing to the increased use of antibiotics, drug-resistant strains, including those that are resistant to the antibiotic vancomycin, have emerged, which has become a major problem. In Japan, sewage treatments consist of sterilization with chlorine; however, this may not be sufficient to inactivate [...] Read more.
Owing to the increased use of antibiotics, drug-resistant strains, including those that are resistant to the antibiotic vancomycin, have emerged, which has become a major problem. In Japan, sewage treatments consist of sterilization with chlorine; however, this may not be sufficient to inactivate these bacteria. In this study, impulse voltage was employed instead of chlorine to inactivate drug-resistant bacteria. The results showed that sterilization above 105 CFU/mL is possible with longer application times of applied voltages above 4.5 kV. The effectiveness of impulse-voltage-mediated sterilization increased as the temperature of the bacterial suspension increased. The number of bacteria sterilized via impulse voltage was correlated with conductivity when the number of bacteria sterilized by impulse voltage exceeded 105 CFU/mL. The sterilization rate achieved by the use of impulse voltage could be estimated immediately by measuring the electrical conductivity and without the need for using the culture method. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Waterborne Pathogens)
Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 2484 KiB  
Article
Mastadenovirus Molecular Diversity in Waste and Environmental Waters from the Lisbon Metropolitan Area
by Joana Cavadas, Ricardo Parreira, Inês Leonardo, Maria Teresa Barreto Crespo and Mónica Nunes
Microorganisms 2022, 10(12), 2443; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10122443 - 10 Dec 2022
Viewed by 1638
Abstract
In face of the absence of epidemiological data regarding the circulation of human adenoviruses (HAdV) in Portugal, this study aimed at the evaluation of their molecular diversity in waste and environmental waters in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (LMA). Using samples collected between 2018 [...] Read more.
In face of the absence of epidemiological data regarding the circulation of human adenoviruses (HAdV) in Portugal, this study aimed at the evaluation of their molecular diversity in waste and environmental waters in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (LMA). Using samples collected between 2018 and 2021, the HAdV hexon protein-coding sequence was partially amplified using three nested touch-down PCR protocols. The amplification products obtained were analyzed in parallel by two approaches: molecular cloning followed by Sanger sequencing and Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) using Illumina® sequencing. The analysis of NGS-generated data allowed the identification of a higher diversity of HAdV-A (19%), -B (1%), -C (3%), -D (24%), and -F (25%) viral types, along with murine adenovirus (MAdV-2; 30%) in the wastewater treatment plant samples. On the other hand, HAdV-A (19%), -D (32%), and -F (36%) were identified in environmental samples, and possibly MAdV-2 (14%). These results demonstrate the presence of fecal contamination in environmental waters and the assessment of the diversity of this virus provides important information regarding the distribution of HAdV in LMA, including the detection of HAdV-F41, the most frequently reported in water worldwide. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Waterborne Pathogens)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Back to TopTop