Assessing the Influence of Water Management and Rainfall Seasonality on Water Quality and Intestinal Parasitism in Rural Northeastern Brazil

Abstract

Introduction The drought in the Brazilian semiarid region has affected the quality of water. This study assessed the relationships between enteric parasitoses, water management, and water quality, correlating them with pluviometric seasonality. Methods Cross-sectional surveys were carried out in four rural communities at the beginning of the dry season (n=151), at the end of the dry season (n=184), and in the rainy season (n=199), in order to collect sociodemographic data, human fecal samples, and samples of the water used for human consumption for physicochemical and microbiological analyses. In 2015, water filters were provided to 30 households under study. Results There was an increasing trend in detection rates of commensal protozoa and the Entamoeba histolytica/Entamoeba dispar complex at the beginning of the rainy season, with detection rates of 6% in 2014 and 21.6% in 2016. Giardia intestinalis and Ascaris lumbricoides presented distinct temporal distributions, which peaked in 2015: 20.1% and 30%, respectively. The proportion of inhabitants drinking inadequate water was 55% at the beginning of the dry season and 28.8% at the end of the dry season, reaching 70.9% at the beginning of the rainy season. The presence of filters reduced this proportion among those who received the hollow ceramic candle filter. Conclusions Data suggest that the strategies to increase water supply in the Brazilian semiarid region can be ameliorated in order to improve the quality of drinking water.

The association between the lack of safe drinking water and sanitation facilities with intestinal Entamoeba spp infection risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…In the current investigation, a marginally insignificant positive association between the intestinal Entamoeba spp infection and safe drinking water lack was observed ( Fig 2 ). However, according to a previously published article, no association between the microbial water quality and infection of intestinal parasites was noted while this contrary results were attributed to the intervention of various factors [ 66 ]. As noted earlier, in addition to E .…”

“…However, in addition to Entamoeba histolytica , in many studies, other species like Entamoeba dispar have an effective role in the prevalence of intestinal diseases in humans as well as other animals [ 37 , 64 , 65 ]. In this context in most of the countries [ 63 , 65 , 66 ], except some countries around the Pacific Rim, the higher frequency of Entamoeba dispar rather than Entamoeba histolytica was noted. Moreover, a recent report published by Costa et al (2018), in the city of Belo Horizonte located in southeastern Brazil, by applying the polymerase chain reaction, pointed out that the prevalence of Entamoeba histolytica is less than Entamoeba dispar [ 67 ].…”

Infections with Giardia duodenalis and Entamoeba histolytica/Entamoeba dispar as Hidden and Prevalent Conditions in Periurban Communities in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

“…Prevalence rates range from 10% to 30% in Brazil. In children hospitalized due to acute diarrhoea in Rio de Janeiro, the positivity rate was 4.7% [6,7]. E. histolytica infections, despite being most frequently asymptomatic, have invasive potential and can be associated with dysentery and hepatic abscesses [8].…”

“…E. histolytica infections, despite being most frequently asymptomatic, have invasive potential and can be associated with dysentery and hepatic abscesses [8]. Amebiasis is also associated with poor water quality and sanitation, and its prevalence is substantially higher in developing countries [6]. In Brazil, prevalence rates of infection in nondiarrhoeal stools range from 12% to 25% in urban settings with poor sanitation infrastructure in Amazonian Brazil and 21% in semiarid regions under water stress in the northeast of the country.…”

“…Prevalence rates range from 10% to 30% in Brazil. In children hospitalized due to acute diarrhoea in Rio de Janeiro, the positivity rate was 4.7% [ 6 , 7 ].…”