TY - JOUR

T1 - Is it human or animal?

T2 - The origin of pathogenic e. coli in the drinking water of a low-income urban community in bangladesh

AU - Ferdous, Jannatul

AU - Rashid, Ridwan Bin

AU - Sultana, Rebeca

AU - Saima, Sabera

AU - Prima, Musharrat Jahan

AU - Begum, Anowara

AU - Jensen, Peter Kjær Mackie

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - This study aimed to investigate the origin of diverse pathotypes of E. coli, isolated from communal water sources and from the actual drinking water vessel at the point-of-drinking inside households in a low-income urban community in Arichpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh, using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Forty-six percent (57/125, CI 95%: 41−58) of the isolates in the point-of-drinking water and 53% (55/103, CI 95%: 45−64) of the isolates in the source water were diarrheagenic E. coli. Among the pathotypes, enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) was the most common, 81% (46/57) of ETEC was found in the point-of-drinking water and 87% (48/55) was found in the communal source water. Phylogenetic group B1, which is predominant in animals, was the most frequently found isolate in both the point-of-drinking water (50%, 91/181) and in the source (50%, 89/180) water. The phylogenetic subgroup B23, usually of human origin, was more common in the point-of-drinking water (65%, 13/20) than in the source water (35%, 7/20). Our findings suggest that non-human mammals and birds played a vital role in fecal contamination for both the source and point-of-drinking water. Addressing human sanitation without a consideration of fecal contamination from livestock sources will not be enough to prevent drinking-water contamination and thus will persist as a greater contributor to diarrheal pathogens.

AB - This study aimed to investigate the origin of diverse pathotypes of E. coli, isolated from communal water sources and from the actual drinking water vessel at the point-of-drinking inside households in a low-income urban community in Arichpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh, using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Forty-six percent (57/125, CI 95%: 41−58) of the isolates in the point-of-drinking water and 53% (55/103, CI 95%: 45−64) of the isolates in the source water were diarrheagenic E. coli. Among the pathotypes, enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) was the most common, 81% (46/57) of ETEC was found in the point-of-drinking water and 87% (48/55) was found in the communal source water. Phylogenetic group B1, which is predominant in animals, was the most frequently found isolate in both the point-of-drinking water (50%, 91/181) and in the source (50%, 89/180) water. The phylogenetic subgroup B23, usually of human origin, was more common in the point-of-drinking water (65%, 13/20) than in the source water (35%, 7/20). Our findings suggest that non-human mammals and birds played a vital role in fecal contamination for both the source and point-of-drinking water. Addressing human sanitation without a consideration of fecal contamination from livestock sources will not be enough to prevent drinking-water contamination and thus will persist as a greater contributor to diarrheal pathogens.

KW - Diarrhea

KW - Drinking water

KW - Escherichia coli pathotypes

KW - ETEC

KW - One health

KW - Phylogenetic

U2 - 10.3390/tropicalmed6040181

DO - 10.3390/tropicalmed6040181

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 34698298

AN - SCOPUS:85117181729

VL - 6

JO - Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease

JF - Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease

SN - 2414-6366

IS - 4

M1 - 181

ER -