Parasitological Assessment of Sewage Sludge Samples for Potential Agricultural Reuse in Tunisia

Sonia Sabbahi, Layla Ben Ayed, Monia Trad, Ronny Berndtsson and Panagiotis Karanis
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Sonia Sabbahi: LR16INRGREF02 Laboratoire de Recherche Valorisation des Eaux Non Conventionnelles, Institut National de Recherche en Génie Rural Eaux et Forêts (INRGREF) Rue Hédi Karray, Université de Carthage, Ariana 2080, Tunisia
Layla Ben Ayed: Laboratoire Sciences et Technologies des Eaux, Institut National Agronomique de Tunisie, 43 Avenue Charles Nicolle, Tunis 1082, Tunisia
Monia Trad: LR16INRGREF02 Laboratoire de Recherche Valorisation des Eaux Non Conventionnelles, Institut National de Recherche en Génie Rural Eaux et Forêts (INRGREF) Rue Hédi Karray, Université de Carthage, Ariana 2080, Tunisia
Ronny Berndtsson: Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies, Division of Water Resources Engineering, Lund University, SE-22100 Lund, Sweden
Panagiotis Karanis: Department of Basic and Clinical Sciences, University of Nicosia Medical School, 21 Ilia Papakyriakou, 2414 Engomi, CY-1700 Nicosia, Cyprus

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 3, 1-18

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, 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 Toxocara 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 examined dried sewage sludge sample contents were below the WHO (2006) and US EPA (2003) recommendations, and thus, the sludge can potentially be reused in agriculture.

Keywords: agricultural reuse; dried sewage sludge; helminth ova; protozoan cysts; semiarid climate; Tunisia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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