A microbial risk assessment was conducted to estimate the human health risks from incidental contact recreational activities such as canoeing, boating and fishing in the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS) receiving secondary treated, but non-disinfected, effluent from three municipal water reclamation plants. Actual concentrations of the pathogens (pathogenic E. coli [estimated], Giardia, Cryptosporidium, adenovirus, norovirus, enteric virus) detected from the waterway field data collection at locations upstream and downstream of the effluent outfall during dry and wet weather conditions within the recreation season were included in the risk assessment. The results under the current treatment scheme with no disinfection indicated that the total expected

The Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS) is a man-made channel, which serves the Chicago area for the drainage of urban storm water and the conveyance of secondary treated effluent from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago's (District) North Side, Stickney and Calumet water reclamation plants (WRPs). A microbial characterization of the CAWS upstream and downstream of the WRPs and from the WRP outfall was initiated by collecting dry and wet weather samples and analyzing for indicators and pathogens. During dry weather, indicator bacteria (fecal coliform [FC], E. coli [EC], enterococci [EN]) were the most abundant microbial species detected in the CAWS compared to pathogens (Salmonella spp [SA], enteric viruses [EV], adenovirus [AV], norovirus [NV] and Giardia and Cryptosporidium). Pseudomonas aeruginosa [PA] levels in the outfall samples were either lower or equivalent to the CAWS. The wet weather samples had a higher frequency of detection of indicator bacteria and pathogens compared to dry weather samples. Overall, the concentrations of pathogens in the CAWS, representing the weather conditions experienced in a recreational year, were relatively low. The study concluded that the presence of pathogens in the CAWS downstream of the WRPs were due to secondary loading of the waterway under wet weather conditions from combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and other discharges.

Objective: To compare the incidence of brain lesions detected on cranial ultrasonography (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at early post-term age in a group of preterm infants.Subjects and methods: In this prospective study, entry criteria were very preterm infants with birth weight ≤1250 g or gestational age ≤30 weeks, or brain lesions on early US scan. 73 neonates were included in the study. All infants underwent sequential cranial US scans and an US and MRI scan at early post-term age.Results: Abnormal US and MR findings were detected in 53.4% and 84.9% of neonates respectively. US underestimated the diffuse white matter damage shown in 6.9% and on MRI in 26.4% of neonates, the increase of the subarachnoid space shown on US in 19.2% and on MRI in 43.1% of neonates and thinning of the corpus callosum detected on US in only 5.5% and on MRI in 27.4% of neonates. MRI was the only method to detect abnormalities in the posterior fossa, basal ganglia, cortex and the posterior limb of the internal capsule. US detected with high sensitivity the presence of cystic periventricular leukomalacia, ventricular enlargement, persistent germinal matrix/intraventricular hemorrhage and porencephalic cyst as a result of periventricular hemorrhagic infraction.Conclusion: MRI offers more complete visualization of brain lesions in preterm neonates and is more informative in regard to diagnosis. Follow up assessment of these neonates is needed to show the relationship to neurodevelopment outcome.

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