Effect of Wastewater Treatment on Bacterial Community, Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and Endoparasites

Ingrid Papajová, Júlia Šmigová, Gabriela Gregová, Jindřich Šoltys, Ján Venglovský, Ján Papaj, Tatiana Szabóová, Nikola Dančová, Lukáš Ihnacik, Ingrid Schusterová, Jana Sušinková, Jana Raková and Ivana Regecová
Additional contact information
Ingrid Papajová: Institute of Parasitology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia
Júlia Šmigová: Institute of Parasitology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia
Gabriela Gregová: Department of Public Veterinary Medicine and Animal Welfare, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, 041 81 Košice, Slovakia
Jindřich Šoltys: Institute of Parasitology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia
Ján Venglovský: Department of Public Veterinary Medicine and Animal Welfare, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, 041 81 Košice, Slovakia
Ján Papaj: Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics, Technical University in Košice, 042 00 Košice, Slovakia
Tatiana Szabóová: Department of Public Veterinary Medicine and Animal Welfare, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, 041 81 Košice, Slovakia
Nikola Dančová: Department of Public Veterinary Medicine and Animal Welfare, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, 041 81 Košice, Slovakia
Lukáš Ihnacik: Institute of Parasitology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia
Ingrid Schusterová: 1st Department of Cardiology, East Slovak Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, A Joint-Stock Company St., 040 11 Košice, Slovakia
Jana Sušinková: Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, 040 11 Košice, Slovakia
Jana Raková: Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, 040 11 Košice, Slovakia
Ivana Regecová: Department of Food Hygiene, Technology and Safety, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, 041 81 Košice, Slovakia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 5, 1-14

Abstract: Wastewater and wastewater treatment plants serve as urban reservoirs of pathogenic microorganisms. Wastewaters frequently contain bacteria, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and developmental stages of parasites with significant zoonotic potential. Five wastewater treatment plants in the central part of Slovakia were investigated to determine the effect of treatment on bacterial community, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and the occurrence of helminth eggs. Although all monitored chemical factors (chemical oxygen demand, biochemical oxygen demand, N-NH4, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus) in the effluent were in line with the legislative standards for discharge into public waterways, the results of minimal inhibitory concentrations show that reclaimed water harbors E. coli resistant to several commonly used antibiotics (ampicillin, piperacillin, and tazobactam, combine ampicillin and sulbactam, cefotaxime, tetracycline). The presence of endoparasite developmental stages in wastewater and sludge ( Ascaris spp., Hymenolepis nana , eggs from the Ancylostomatidae family, Giardia duodenalis ) indicates potential health risks for humans and workers at these sites. Treatment such as composting before applying sludge to land is necessary to reduce human pathogens.

Keywords: wastewater; antimicrobial resistance; E. coli; protozoan cysts; helminth eggs; sanitation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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