Journal of water and health最新文献

Bromide contamination in water sources poses significant health and environmental concerns due to its transformation into carcinogenic disinfection byproducts (DBPs) such as bromate during water treatment. In this study, a silver tungstate-modified magnesium oxide nanocomposite (Ag₂WO₄/MgO, denoted as AgW@MgO) was synthesized and applied as an efficient adsorbent for bromide removal from aqueous solutions. The material was thoroughly characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface analysis. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted to evaluate the influence of adsorbent dose, initial bromide concentration, contact time, and pH on removal efficiency. The adsorption equilibrium data were best described by the Langmuir isotherm (R² = 0.9603), with a maximum capacity of 1.01 mg g^-1, while the kinetics followed a pseudo-second-order model (R² = 0.9718), indicating chemisorption as the dominant mechanism. Intra-particle diffusion analysis further confirmed multi-step adsorption behavior. Regeneration studies demonstrated that AgW@MgO maintained up to 50% removal efficiency after four adsorption-desorption cycles. Application to real groundwater samples showed complete bromide removal, highlighting the material's potential for practical water treatment. Overall, AgW@MgO emerges as a cost-effective and sustainable adsorbent with high efficiency, reusability, and environmental relevance for bromide elimination from contaminated waters.

Fresh produce growers in the United States are required to conduct agricultural water assessments to help mitigate the risks associated with potentially contaminated irrigation water. Microbial water quality is typically assessed using the fecal indicator bacteria, Escherichia coli, collected from small-volume grab samples. Testing irrigation water for alternative fecal indicators, microbial source tracking (MST) markers, or pathogens may provide additional insight into sources of fecal contamination, risk of pathogen presence, or hazards associated with the agricultural watershed. In this study, we conducted laboratory recovery experiments and a field study to evaluate sample collection methods for agricultural water assessments. Dead-end ultrafiltration (DEUF) was used to collect large-volume (50 L) irrigation water samples alongside 1-L grab samples monthly from three farms in southern Georgia, USA, for 1 year. DEUF and grab samples were analyzed for fecal indicators, Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, and MST markers. DEUF resulted in higher detection rates than grab sampling for Salmonella and most fecal indicators. DEUF also revealed associations between Salmonella and fecal indicators that grab sampling did not. This study demonstrates the applicability and benefit of DEUF for the sensitive detection of pathogens, fecal indicators, and MST markers in produce irrigation water.

Enteric infections remain a major public health challenge in low- and middle-income countries, disproportionately affecting young children. We conducted a cross-sectional study to characterize the prevalence of enteropathogens among mothers and children from peri-urban and rural communities in the La Paz River Basin Bolivia, and to examine associations with water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) conditions. Fecal samples were analyzed by real-time PCR to detect 21 viral, bacterial, and parasitic pathogens, alongside household surveys and water quality assessments. Sixteen pathogens were detected, 85% of participants carried at least one pathogen, with frequent coinfections. The most prevalent pathogens were Helicobacter pylori, adenovirus, EPEC, Giardia lamblia, and Shigella. Pathogen carriage was higher in rural than in peri-urban settings, with bacterial infections predominating in the lower basin and viral infections in the upper basin. Children carried more viral and parasitic pathogens, while mothers had more bacterial pathogens. Significant mother-child concordance was observed for several pathogens, supporting shared household exposures. Enteric pathogen carriage was strongly associated with drinking water source, sanitation practices, housing quality, and hygiene behaviors, particularly reliance on cistern/spring water, open defecation, and inadequate hand hygiene. These findings highlight a substantial and heterogeneous burden of enteric infections, underscoring the need for integrated WASH interventions.

This study employs a multi-method approach - bibliometric analysis, knowledge mapping, BERTopic modeling, and content analysis - to map the evolving research landscape on climate change and water-related diseases (WRDs) from 1995 to 2025. Our analysis reveals a marked increase in publications post-2007, peaking in 2024, yet this growth is characterized by significant geographic concentration. The United States, China, and the United Kingdom dominate scholarly output, while a centralized collaboration network sidelines many high-risk regions, creating a critical evidence gap. Thematic mapping shows an intensive focus on malaria and dengue, collectively constituting over two-fifths of the literature, though emerging interest in risk modeling and vector habitat suitability signals a methodological shift. Content analysis of the most-cited studies highlights the expanding geographic range and seasonality of WRDs, intensified by extreme floods and droughts, with disproportionate impacts on children, the elderly, and low-income communities. A persistent implementation gap remains between identifying climate-health risks and enacting effective adaptation. We conclude that bridging this gap necessitates urgent, strategic investment in climate-integrated early warning systems, resilient water and sanitation infrastructure, and targeted public health interventions to translate scientific knowledge into tangible protection for vulnerable populations.

Surface water is vital for drinking, recreation, wildlife, agriculture, and industry, highlighting the need for routine microbiological monitoring. Escherichia coli (E. coli) in environmental waters serves as a key indicator of fecal contamination and is essential for monitoring water quality. We investigated the phylogenetic diversity, pathogenicity, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of E. coli strains isolated from surface water in the Laramie River watershed, used for agriculture and recreation. Phylogenetic analysis of 109 isolates identified phylogroup A as the most prevalent (74.3%), followed by E (11%), B2 (8.2%), and B1 (6.4%), indicating contamination from diverse animal and human sources. Multiplex PCR characterized 7.33% of isolates as diarrheagenic E. coli (DEC), with enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) and enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) the most frequently detected pathotypes (2.75% each). AMR analysis determined that 50.42% of isolates exhibited resistance to at least one antibiotic, with the highest resistance to tetracycline (44.4%) and ampicillin (19.6%). Multiple resistance patterns were associated with wastewater and agricultural runoff, with elevated resistance observed downstream of wastewater treatment plants. These findings provide insights into the interactions between E. coli diversity, pathogenicity, and AMR in the watershed, emphasizing the need for proactive water quality management to address anthropogenic impacts.

In 2019, a hepatitis A outbreak in an Anabaptist community was reported to the Kentucky Department for Public Health. Epidemiological data suggested untreated spring water as a potential outbreak exposure. An environmental investigation was conducted to evaluate this less common hepatitis A virus (HAV) exposure source. We collected water samples from the main spring used for drinking and produce irrigation by the primary household where cases were identified, from springs feeding the main spring, and from the household's gray water discharge and human waste systems. Samples were tested for HAV, and viral and bacterial fecal indicators. HAV was detected in the main spring water and downstream of the household gray water discharge pipe. HAV was repeatedly detected in the follow-up samples from spring water and in wastewater from a new septic system. The environmental investigation confirmed HAV contamination of the household drinking water. Human-specific and general fecal indicators indicated a hydrological connection between the waste system and the drinking water source. Given that private springs are unregulated in the United States, spring water should be considered as a risk factor in HAV and other waterborne virus outbreaks within communities less likely to utilize water treatment systems.

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major public health challenge in sub-Saharan Africa, driven by high transmission, delayed diagnosis, and limited surveillance. This study presents one of the first integrated applications of shotgun metagenomic and metatranscriptomic sequencing to investigate Mycobacterium communities in wastewater across six TB-endemic countries: Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Uganda. Twelve untreated and treated wastewater samples were analysed to characterise taxonomic composition, strain-level diversity, and transcriptional activity. Metagenomic analyses revealed diverse Mycobacterium communities, including M. tuberculosis, M. canettii, M. bovis, and members of the M. avium complex. Metatranscriptomic data detected MTBC-associated transcripts, indicating transcriptional activity and/or persistence of MTBC RNA signals in wastewater, with higher signal predominance in influent samples, consistent with community-level shedding. Metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) recovered from South Africa, Cameroon, and Uganda showed >82% completeness and included zoonotic species. MTBC strains clustered into Lineages 1, 2, 4, and 6, with animal-adapted strains linked to livestock and rodents, highlighting One Health relevance. Overall, this dual-omics approach supports wastewater-based epidemiology as a scalable tool for TB surveillance in high-burden settings.

Cholera remains a major public health problem in Nigeria, with recurrent outbreaks linked to weak water and sanitation services. We conducted a narrative review of published studies and reports and examined how conflict and climate variability contribute to cholera risk and how these drivers interact. Evidence shows that conflict increases cholera transmission mainly through population displacement, overcrowding, and the breakdown of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) systems, surveillance, and health services. Climate hazards, especially heavy rainfall, flooding, and drought, increase exposure to contaminated water and disrupt sanitation infrastructure, creating conditions that support the persistence and spread of Vibrio cholerae. The interaction of insecurity and climate shocks is most evident in high-risk settings such as internally displaced persons camps and flood-prone communities, where outbreaks are harder to detect and control. We recommend conflict-sensitive and climate-adaptive cholera control, including strengthened WASH services, earlier warning and surveillance, pre-positioned outbreak supplies and oral cholera vaccines, and coordinated response plans for high-risk regions.

The proliferation of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) poses public health risks globally, with wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) serving as dissemination hubs for horizontal gene transfer. In this study, we evaluated the potential of applying Hi-C sequencing coupled with metagenomic bioinformatics for surveillance of ARGs and other microbial fitness traits using samples from WWTPs. Hi-C sequencing has the advantage over other molecular approaches by directly associating genes conveying fitness to their host microbe, plus to their element type (in plasmids, phages, or within the core genome of its host microbe). Results from Hi-C analyses confirm results from more laborious approaches by showing that aminoglycoside resistance is disseminated by plasmids. Mercury resistance was found in Zoogloea bacteria. Resistance genes to quaternary ammonium compounds were found within bacteriophages. Results from this study provide proof-of-concept for the potential value of Hi-C metagenome sequencing in wastewater attribution studies by illustrating the breadth of information that can be obtained about the microbial community, the exchange of genes, and their interconnections. We believe that with further development, Hi-C sequencing can be integrated into routine monitoring of wastewater for the purpose of providing near-real-time information about the dissemination of fitness traits, including ARGs.

In Switzerland, as in the rest of Europe and beyond, increasing cocaine and crack use, along with related social and health harms, is a serious concern to authorities. The aim of this study was to provide objective data on this complex situation by integrating wastewater analysis, targeting benzoylecgonine (BE) and anhydroecgonine methyl ester (AEME) in 13 Swiss cities from 2021 to 2024, with street-level cocaine purity data obtained from near-infrared spectroscopy analyses, and survey data on user populations and administration routes used to compute a weighted BE excretion rate. Results highlighted strong weekly and spatial trends in BE loads and an overall increase in cocaine consumption, part of which could be attributed to the increase in cocaine purity. Unexpectedly, AEME loads did not increase; however, spatial trends were similar to those of BE, highlighting a correlation between AEME and BE loads. Overall, evolutions of crack cocaine use must be accounted for when monitoring general cocaine consumption through BE wastewater loads due to large differences in excretion rates. Thus, triangulation of multiple data sources allowed for a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the cocaine and crack cocaine situation in Switzerland, which is crucial to the implementation of tailored and efficient measures.