Occurrence of Protozoan and Bacterial Pathogens in Water Samples from Small Water Systems in Mountainous Areas of Taiwan
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 134, Issue 5
Abstract
Giardia, Cryptosporidium, Salmonella, and Shigella have emerged as waterborne pathogens of concern. Thirty water samples were collected from 10 small water systems in mountainous areas of Taiwan and investigated for the occurrence of these pathogens. In addition, the basic characteristics of each small water system were recorded, and each water sample was tested for several water quality parameters. The occurrence frequency was 10.0% for Giardia spp., 3.3% for Cryptosporidium spp. and Shigella flexneri, and 16.7% for Salmonella enterica. The highest correlation was found between the presence of Salmonella enterica and low water temperature, followed by the correlation between water turbidity and fecal coliform concentration. A low correlation was found between the presence of Giardia and the concentration of heterotrophic bacteria. The water samples from small water systems with filtration devices had a lower occurrence of pathogen microorganisms than those without filtration devices. The proportion of water samples with pathogenic microorganisms increased with the consumer population of the water systems, and the pathogen occurrence differed among the regions of the sampling sites. In order to prevent parasitic infection, the use of disinfection devices in small water systems would be needed.
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Acknowledgments
This work was funded by the Environmental Protection Administration, R.O.C. (EPA-91-U1J1-02-102-B001). The writers are grateful to Mr. Zong-Hua Yan, Mr. Jun-Zhi Liu, and Ms. Shu-Min Shen for their experimental work.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 134 • Issue 5 • May 2008
Pages: 389 - 394
Copyright
© 2008 ASCE.
History
Received: Aug 24, 2006
Accepted: Sep 24, 2007
Published online: May 1, 2008
Published in print: May 2008
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