Parasitological Assessment of Sewage Sludge Samples for Potential Agricultural Reuse in Tunisia
Sabbahi, Sonia ; Ayed, Layla Ben ; Trad, Monia ; Berndtsson, Ronny LU
and Karanis, Panagiotis
(2022)
In International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
19(3).
- Abstract
Wastewater sludge represents an important resource for reuse in agriculture. However, potentially harmful pathogens are a main threat in this context. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the presence of helminth ova and protozoan cysts in dried sewage sludge samples collected from ten wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) located in eight governorates in Tunisia. Based on morphological criteria, protozoan cysts of Giardia spp., Entamoeba histolytica/dispar/moshkovskii, and Entamoeba coli, were detected in all dried sludge composite samples (N = 116) from the investigated WWTPs. The mean concentration ranged from 1.4 to 10.7 cysts per 100 g dry matter (DM). The identified helminth eggs were Ascaris spp., Strongyles, Taeniid eggs,... (More)
Wastewater sludge represents an important resource for reuse in agriculture. However, potentially harmful pathogens are a main threat in this context. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the presence of helminth ova and protozoan cysts in dried sewage sludge samples collected from ten wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) located in eight governorates in Tunisia. Based on morphological criteria, protozoan cysts of Giardia spp., Entamoeba histolytica/dispar/moshkovskii, and Entamoeba coli, were detected in all dried sludge composite samples (N = 116) from the investigated WWTPs. The mean concentration ranged from 1.4 to 10.7 cysts per 100 g dry matter (DM). The identified helminth eggs were Ascaris spp., Strongyles, Taeniid eggs, Hymenolepis nana, Enterobius vermicularis, and hookworm species. Ascaris spp. and Taeniid eggs were detected in 56.9 and 74.1% of analyzed samples, respectively. The presence of Trichuris spp., Hymenolepis diminuta, and Toxo-cara spp. eggs in dried sewage sludge samples was low (0.9, 1.7, and 2.6%, respectively). The mean concentration of helminth eggs during the three-year study was less than 1 egg/100 g DM. All ex-amined dried sewage sludge sample contents were below the WHO (2006) and US EPA (2003) rec-ommendations, and thus, the sludge can potentially be reused in agriculture.
(Less)
- author
- Sabbahi, Sonia
; Ayed, Layla Ben
; Trad, Monia
; Berndtsson, Ronny
LU
and Karanis, Panagiotis
- organization
- publishing date
- 2022-02-01
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Agricultural reuse, Dried sewage sludge, Helminth ova, Protozoan cysts, Semiarid climate, Tunisia
- in
- International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
- volume
- 19
- issue
- 3
- article number
- 1657
- publisher
- MDPI AG
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85123594905
- pmid:35162680
- ISSN
- 1661-7827
- DOI
- 10.3390/ijerph19031657
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- f9bda46c-93d5-467f-8e71-e1f3e2a7c660
- date added to LUP
- 2022-03-28 10:41:16
- date last changed
- 2024-06-19 03:09:25
@article{f9bda46c-93d5-467f-8e71-e1f3e2a7c660,
abstract = {{<p>Wastewater sludge represents an important resource for reuse in agriculture. However, potentially harmful pathogens are a main threat in this context. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the presence of helminth ova and protozoan cysts in dried sewage sludge samples collected from ten wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) located in eight governorates in Tunisia. Based on morphological criteria, protozoan cysts of Giardia spp., Entamoeba histolytica/dispar/moshkovskii, and Entamoeba coli, were detected in all dried sludge composite samples (N = 116) from the investigated WWTPs. The mean concentration ranged from 1.4 to 10.7 cysts per 100 g dry matter (DM). The identified helminth eggs were Ascaris spp., Strongyles, Taeniid eggs, Hymenolepis nana, Enterobius vermicularis, and hookworm species. Ascaris spp. and Taeniid eggs were detected in 56.9 and 74.1% of analyzed samples, respectively. The presence of Trichuris spp., Hymenolepis diminuta, and Toxo-cara spp. eggs in dried sewage sludge samples was low (0.9, 1.7, and 2.6%, respectively). The mean concentration of helminth eggs during the three-year study was less than 1 egg/100 g DM. All ex-amined dried sewage sludge sample contents were below the WHO (2006) and US EPA (2003) rec-ommendations, and thus, the sludge can potentially be reused in agriculture.</p>}},
author = {{Sabbahi, Sonia and Ayed, Layla Ben and Trad, Monia and Berndtsson, Ronny and Karanis, Panagiotis}},
issn = {{1661-7827}},
keywords = {{Agricultural reuse; Dried sewage sludge; Helminth ova; Protozoan cysts; Semiarid climate; Tunisia}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{02}},
number = {{3}},
publisher = {{MDPI AG}},
series = {{International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health}},
title = {{Parasitological Assessment of Sewage Sludge Samples for Potential Agricultural Reuse in Tunisia}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031657}},
doi = {{10.3390/ijerph19031657}},
volume = {{19}},
year = {{2022}},
}