Occurrence of Cryptosporidium and Giardia and the Relationship between Protozoa and Water Quality Indicators in Swimming Pools.
10.3347/kjp.2017.55.2.129
- Author:
Shumin XIAO
1
;
Pengna YIN
;
Yan ZHANG
;
Sike HU
Author Information
1. School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Tianjin Chengjian University, Tianjin 300384, P. R. China.
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Cryptosporidium;
Giardia;
bacterial indicator;
swimming pool;
water quality
- MeSH:
Bacteria;
Beijing;
China;
Cryptosporidium*;
Giardia*;
Humans;
Oocysts;
Parasites;
Protozoan Infections;
Swimming Pools*;
Swimming*;
Urea;
Water Quality*;
Water*
- From:The Korean Journal of Parasitology
2017;55(2):129-135
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
A total of 60 samples were collected from 35 swimming pools in Beijing, China, and the presence of Cryptosporidium and Giardia were investigated. The results showed that 16.7% and 15.0% of samples were positive for Cryptosporidium oocyst and Giardia cysts, respectively, with a mean concentration of 0.30 oocysts/10 L and 0.27 cysts/10 L. The oocysts and cysts were found to have higher rates of occurrence in August than in May. Genotyping confirmed the presence of Cryptosporidium hominis, C. parvum, and Giardia assemblages A and B, all of which were associated with human infections. The predominant species/assemblages were C. hominis and Giardia assemblage A. Analyses of the relationships between parasite oocysts/cysts, indicator bacteria, and physical-chemical parameters revealed that there was no correlation between 2 parasites and fecal bacterial indicators, whilst there was a significant correlation between protozoa and urea concentration, which indicates that urea concentration rather than fecal bacterial indicators might be an appropriate index for chlorine-resistant protozoa in swimming pools. This study provides useful information to improve the safety of swimming pool water and deduce the risk of protozoan infections.
