BackgroundIn many parts of the world, health problems and diseases have often been caused by discharging untreated or inadequately treated wastewater. In this study, we aimed to control physico-chemical parameters in wastewater samples. Also, microbiological analyses were done to reveal Salmonella strains and each Escherichia coli (E.coli) pathotype.FindingsSixty wastewater samples were collected from fifteen different regions of Tunisia. All physico-chemical parameters (pH, residual free chlorine, total suspended solids, biological oxygen demand, and chemical oxygen demand) were evaluated.For microbiological analyses, samples were filtered to concentrate bacteria. DNA was extracted by boiling and subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using different pairs of primers.The mean pH values recorded for the sampling point were above the WHO pH tolerance limit. The total suspended solids (TSS) concentrations varied between 240 mg/L and 733 mg/L in entrance points and between 13 mg/L and 76 mg/L in exit points. In entrance points, the studied wastewater has an average COD concentration that varied between 795 mg/mL to 1420 mg/mL. Whereas, BOD concentration of the wastewater ranged between 270 mg/L to 610 mg/L. In exit points, COD concentration varied between 59 mg/L and 141 mg/L, whereas BOD concentration ranged from 15 mg/L to 87 mg/L.The bacteriological control of wastewaters showed that, in entrance points, Escherichia coli (E.coli) was detected at the rate of 76.6%. Three E.coli pathotypes were found: ETEC (53.3%), EAEC (16.6%) and EIEC (6.6%).Concerning the ETEC isolated strains, 8 of 16 (50%) have only the heat-labile toxin gene, 5 of 16 (31.2%) present only the heat-stable toxin gene and 3 of 16 (18.7%) of strains possess both heat-labile toxin gene and heat-stable toxin gene. In exist point, the same pathotypes were found but all detected ETEC strains present only the "est" gene.Concerning Salmonella isolated strains; percentages of 66.6% and 20% were found in entrance and exit points respectively.ConclusionsWastewaters contain a large amount of pathogenic bacteria that present a real impact on human health. Assessment wastewater treatment stations have to consider in account enterobacterial pathogens as potential pathogens that should be correctly controlled.

The efficiency of six Tunisian sewage treatment plants (STP) for the removal of hepatitis A virus (HAV) from wastewater was analysed in order to evaluate the potential risk for human health linked to reuse or discharge of treated wastewater into the environment. The STP utilize different biological wastewater treatments including primary treatment, which involves the physical removal of organic and inorganic solids, and secondary treatment that involves different processes, such as activated sludge or lagoon. Quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and conventional RT-PCR were used for the analysis of the 325 wastewater samples (163 raw and 162 treated) obtained. Results revealed highest contamination in west-central of Tunisia in raw wastewater with 62.96 % of samples positive for HAV and predominance during winter and autumn, whereas east-central region showed 50.62 % of positive samples with high prevalence from winter through summer. The quantitative analysis revealed a range between 4.29 × 10(1) and 1.24 × 10(5) RNA copies/mL in treated wastewater, showing clearly the inefficiency for total removal of HAV regardless of the treatment method used. The vast majority of HAV sequences belonged to the sub-genotype IA, except one that was assigned to sub-genotype IB.

(SaV), from the family, is a genus of enteric viruses that cause acute gastroenteritis. SaV is shed at high concentrations with feces into wastewater, which is usually discharged into aquatic environments or reused for irrigation without efficient treatments. This study analyzed the incidence of human SaV in four wastewater treatment plants from Tunisia during a period of 13 months (December 2009 to December 2010). Detection and quantification were carried out using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) methods, obtaining a prevalence of 39.9% (87/218). Sixty-one positive samples were detected in untreated water and 26 positive samples in processed water. The Dekhila plant presented the highest contamination levels, with a 63.0% prevalence. A dominance of genotype I.2 was observed on 15 of the 24 positive samples that were genetically characterized. By a Bayesian estimation algorithm, the SaV density in wastewater was estimated using left-censored data sets. The mean value of log SaV concentration in untreated wastewater ranged between 2.7 and 4.5 logs. A virus removal efficiency of 0.2 log was calculated for the Dekhila plant as the log ratio posterior distributions between untreated and treated wastewater. Multiple quantitative values obtained in this study must be available in quantitative microbial risk assessment in Tunisia as parameter values reflecting local conditions. Human sapovirus (SaV) is becoming more prevalent worldwide and organisms in this genus are recognized as emerging pathogens associated with human gastroenteritis. The present study describes novel findings on the prevalence, seasonality, and genotype distribution of SaV in Tunisia and Northern Africa. In addition, a statistical approximation using Bayesian estimation of the posterior predictive distribution ("left-censored" data) was employed to solve methodological problems related with the limit of quantification of the quantitative PCR (qPCR). This approach would be helpful for the future development of quantitative microbial risk assessment procedures for wastewater.

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is the main causative agent of hepatitis infection associated with waterborne outbreaks worldwide. In Tunisia, there is no specific surveillance system for HAV and current secondary wastewater treatment processes are unable to remove viral particles, which present a potential public health problem. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of HAV in 271 raw and treated wastewater samples from five sewage treatment plants (STPs) during 13 months was performed. Moreover, the efficiency of three secondary wastewater treatment processes (conventional activated sludge, extended aeration, and oxidation ditch activated sludge) was evaluated. Data obtained demonstrated that HAV is endemic in Tunisia and circulates with high prevalence in both raw (66.9%) and treated (40.7%) wastewater. HAV circulates throughout the year in the coastal areas, with the highest rates found during summer and autumn, whereas in central Tunisia, high levels were shown in autumn and winter. Total virus removal was not achieved, since no difference in mean HAV loads was observed in effluents (6.0 ؋ 10 3 genome copies [GC]/ml) and influents (2.7 ؋ 10 3 GC/ml). The comparison of the HAV removal values of the three different wastewater treatment methods indicates that extended aeration and oxidation ditch activated sludge had better efficiency in removing viruses than conventional activated sludge did. Molecular characterization revealed that the vast majority of HAV strains belonged to subgenotype IA, with the cocirculation of subgenotype IB in wastewater treatment plants that collect tourism wastewater. IMPORTANCEThis report provides important data on the incidence, behavior, seasonality, and genotype distribution of HAV in the environment in Tunisia, as well as the risk of infection derived from its occurrence in effluents due to inadequate wastewater treatment. In addition, these findings seem to confirm that the prevalence of HAV depends on socioeconomic level, sanitary conditions in the communities, sewage facilities, the locality, and the climate. The wide dispersion of HAV in effluents proves the inefficacity of the current wastewater treatment processes used in Tunisia to remove virus; therefore, establishment of tertiary treatment processes or replacement of the medium-charge activated sludge (conventional activated sludge) by the low-charge version (oxidation ditch activated sludge) is absolutely needed. Rapid detection of the HAV genome in wastewater may provide a timely warning sign to health authorities to implement population protection measures. H epatitis A virus (HAV) is one of the most important human waterborne viruses and constitutes the main cause of human enteric hepatitis transmitted via the fecal-oral route (1). It is widely prevalent in the world, as millions of new cases of HAV infections occur worldwide every year (2). It was previously demonstrated that areas with inadequate water supply and poor wastewater facilities and hygienic conditions generally have very high HAV prevalence (3, 4). Th...