caa a22 4500 445340088 CHVBK 20180317142809.0 cr unu---uuuuu 170323e20110901xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s00436-011-2291-x doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s00436-011-2291-x Municipal wastewater treatment plants as removal systems and environmental sources of human-virulent microsporidian spores [Elektronische Daten] [Hui-Wen Cheng, Frances Lucy, Thaddeus Graczyk, Michael Broaders, Sergey Mastitsky] Municipal wastewater treatment plants play a vital role in reducing the microbial load of sewage before the end-products are discharged to surface waters (final effluent) or local environments (biosolids). This study was to investigate the presence of human-virulent microsporidian spores (Enterocytozoon bieneusi, Encephalitozoon intestinalis, and Encephalitozoon hellem) and enterococci during treatment processes at four Irish municipal secondary wastewater treatment plants (plants A-D). Microsporidian abundance was significantly related to seasonal increase in water temperature. Plant A had the least efficient removal of E. intestinalis spores (32%) in wastewater, with almost 100% removal at other plants both in April and July. Some negative removal efficiencies were obtained for E. bieneusi (at plants C and D, −100%) and for E. hellem (at plants A and D, −90% and −50%). In addition, a positive correlation was found between the levels of enterococci and E. bieneusi in July (r s = 0.72, P < 0.05). In terms of the dewatered biosolids, a median concentration as high as 32,000spores/Kg of E. hellem was observed at plant D in July. Plant C sewage sludge contained the lowest microsporidian loadings (E. bieneusi; 450spores/L and 1,000spores/L in April and July, respectively). This study highlights the seasonal variation in concentrations of microsporidian spores in the incoming sewage. Spores in final effluents and dewatered biosolids can be the source of human-virulent microsporidian contamination to the local environment. This emphasizes a considerably high public health risk when sewage-derived biosolids are spread during summer months. This study also suggested enterococci as a potential indicator of the presence of microsporidian spores in wastewater, especially for E. bieneusi. Springer-Verlag, 2011 Cheng Hui-Wen Department of Research, School of Science, Institute of Technology, Sligo, Ireland aut Lucy Frances Centre for Biomolecular Environmental Public Health Research, School of Science, Institute of Technology, Sligo, Ireland aut Graczyk Thaddeus Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Division of Environmental Health Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 21205, Baltimore, MD, USA aut Broaders Michael Centre for Biomolecular Environmental Public Health Research, School of Science, Institute of Technology, Sligo, Ireland aut Mastitsky Sergey Department of Theoretical Bioinformatics, German Cancer Research Centre, Heidelberg, Germany aut Parasitology Research Springer-Verlag 109/3(2011-09-01), 595-603 0932-0113 109:3<595 2011 109 436 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-011-2291-x text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-011-2291-x text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Cheng Hui-Wen Department of Research, School of Science, Institute of Technology, Sligo, Ireland aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Lucy Frances Centre for Biomolecular Environmental Public Health Research, School of Science, Institute of Technology, Sligo, Ireland aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Graczyk Thaddeus Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Division of Environmental Health Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 21205, Baltimore, MD, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Broaders Michael Centre for Biomolecular Environmental Public Health Research, School of Science, Institute of Technology, Sligo, Ireland aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Mastitsky Sergey Department of Theoretical Bioinformatics, German Cancer Research Centre, Heidelberg, Germany aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Parasitology Research Springer-Verlag 109/3(2011-09-01), 595-603 0932-0113 109:3<595 2011 109 436 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer