Microbial water quality and health risk assessment in karst springs from Apuseni Mountains, Romania

Abstract

In Apuseni Mountains (North-Western Romania), many of the inhabitants live in rural communities with limited or no access to the centralized and controlled water supply. This study assesses the microbiological quality of six karst spring waters from Bihor County used by rural communities as drinking water sources. Twenty-four water samples collected in January, April, June, and November 2021 were analyzed for E. coli, total coliforms, intestinal enterococci, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and heterotrophic plate count at 37 and 22°C. Standard microbiological methods based on the membrane filter technique or pour plate method were used for the microbiological characterization of the spring waters. The study revealed that the karst springs from the studied area present microbiological contamination. The microbiological parameters for five out of the six studied spring waters exceeded the maximum limits allowed by the 98/83/EC Directive. Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment estimated the risk of gastrointestinal illness for both adults and children due to the enteropathogenic E. coli contamination. According to the health risk evaluation model, the risk of infection/day and the risk of infection/year were high, with the maximum values of 0.24 and 1.00, respectively. The probability of illness caused by E. coli contamination of water ranged between 0.09 and 0.35 for five out of six groundwater sources. The local communities using the contaminated springs are exposed to daily and accumulated health threats. Therefore, preventive measures accompanied by continuous monitoring are necessary mainly for those water sources that are critical drinking water sources for the rural communities.

Reduction of Microbial Contamination of Chechin nchabe (Cooked Fermented Cassava) Produced in Noun (West Cameroon) by a Second Fermentation

“…Indeed, the same pathogens that were originally in these fermentation sites are in permanent contact with the product ready for consumption. In fact, this microbial contamination observed in river waters and spring water is justified by the fact that they are sources of open water supply regularly exposed to all kinds of anthropological activities that promote the increase and diversification of microbial contamination [11]. Studies conducted by Djuikom et al [12], Mbawala et al [13] and Alia [14] respectively in Douala, Ngaoundere and in Noun revealed fecal contamination by the individual or associated presence of Coliforms, Fecal Enterococci in rivers and springs.…”

Hydrochemical evolution and groundwater quality assessment of the Tinejdad-Touroug quaternary aquifer, South-East Morocco

“…Microbial indicators may be quantified to determine the amount of organic contamination in groundwater (Szekeres et al, 2018;Hubbard et al, 2020;Khadra et al, 2022;Stupar et al, 2022;Li et al, 2023). The results of bacteriological parameters in the samples obtained throughout five sampling campaigns are moderate.…”

Water Quality and Bacteriological Assessment of Two Drains; in the Deltaic Mediterranean Coast of Egypt

“…Microorganisms from human or animal excreta are the principal cause of microbiological contamination, which enters humans via contaminated groundwater from wastewater, landfills, or wastewater treatment plants, creating serious health problems (Lugo Luis et al, 2021). The presence of pathogenic bacteria in the water supply can lead to water-borne illnesses, such as salmonellosis, typhoid, paratyphoid, cholera, amoebic dysentery, poliomyelitis, and infectious hepatitis (Stupar et al, 2022). Coliforms and Escherichia coli are important bacterial indicators used to define water quality and health risks.…”