Removal of Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase-Producing Escherichia coli, ST98, in Water for Human Consumption by Black Ceramic Water Filters in Low-Income Ecuadorian Highlands

Carlos Bastidas-Caldes, Juan Ochoa, Laura Guerrero-Latorre, Carlos Moyota-Tello, Wilson Tapia, Joaquín María Rey-Pérez and Maria Isabel Baroja
Additional contact information
Carlos Bastidas-Caldes: One Health Research Group, Biotecnología, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas (FICA), Universidad de las Américas (UDLA), Quito 170125, Ecuador
Juan Ochoa: Ingeniería en Biotecnología, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas (FICA), Universidad de las Américas (UDLA), Quito 170125, Ecuador
Laura Guerrero-Latorre: Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Water Quality Area, Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain
Carlos Moyota-Tello: Ingeniería en Biotecnología, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas (FICA), Universidad de las Américas (UDLA), Quito 170125, Ecuador
Wilson Tapia: Ingeniería en Biotecnología, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas (FICA), Universidad de las Américas (UDLA), Quito 170125, Ecuador
Joaquín María Rey-Pérez: Unidad de Patología Infecciosa, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Extremadura, 10003 Mérida, Spain
Maria Isabel Baroja: Ingeniería en Biotecnología, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas (FICA), Universidad de las Américas (UDLA), Quito 170125, Ecuador

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 8, 1-12

Abstract: Fecal contamination in natural water sources is a common problem in low-income countries. Several health risks are associated with unprotected water sources, such as gastrointestinal infections caused by parasites, viruses, and bacteria. Moreover, antibiotic-resistant bacteria in water sources have become an increasing problem worldwide. This study aimed to evaluate the bacterial pathogens present in water within a rural context in Ecuador, along with the efficiency of black ceramic water filters (BCWFs) as a sustainable household water treatment. We monitored five natural water sources that were used for human consumption in the highlands of Ecuador and analyzed the total coliforms and E. coli before and after BCWF installation. The results indicated a variable bacterial contamination (29–300 colony-forming units/100mL) in all unfiltered samples, and they were considered as high risk for human consumption, but after filtration, no bacteria were present. Moreover, extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing E. coli with bla TEM , bla CTX-M9 , and bla CTX-M1 genes, and two E. coli classified in the clonal complex ST10 (ST98) were detected in two of the locations sampled; these strains can severely impact public health. The clonal complex ST10, found in the E. coli isolates, possesses the potential to spread bacteria-resistant genes to humans and animals. The results of the use of BCWFs, however, argue for the filters’ potential impact within those contexts, as the BCWFs completely removed even antibiotic-resistant contaminants from the water.

Keywords: black ceramic water filters; water quality; resistant bacteria; extended-spectrum ?-lactamase; ST10 clonal complex (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:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/8/4736/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/8/4736/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:8:p:4736-:d:793618

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().