Objective: To estimate the consumption level of four drugs in Beijing using wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE). Methods: The primary sludge from one large wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) was collected in Beijing from July 2020 to February 2021. The concentrations of codeine, methadone, ketamine and morphine in the sludge were detected through solid-phase extraction-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The consumption, prevalence and number of users of four drugs were estimated by using the WBE approach. Results: Among 416 sludge samples, codeine had the highest detection rate (82.93%, n=345) with a concentration [M (Q₁, Q₃)] of 0.40 (0.22-0.8) ng·g^-1, and morphine had the lowest detection rate (28.37%,n=118) with a concentration [M (Q₁, Q₃)] of 0.13 (0.09, 0.17) ng·g^-1. There was no significant difference in the consumption of the four drugs on working days and weekends (all P values>0.05). Drug consumption was significantly higher in winter than that in summer and autumn (all P values <0.05). The consumption [M (Q₁, Q₃)] of codeine, methadone, ketamine and morphine in winter was 24.9 (15.58, 38.6), 9.39 (4.57, 26.72), 9.84 (5.18, 19.45) and 5.67 (3.57, 13.77) μg·inhabitant^-1·day^-1, respectively. For these drugs, there was an upward trend in the average drug consumption during summer, autumn and winter (the Z values of the trend test were 3.23, 3.16, 2.19, and 3.32, respectively and all P values<0.05). The prevalence [M (Q₁, Q₃)] of codeine, methadone, ketamine and morphine were 0.0056% (0.003 4%, 0.009 2%), 0.0148% (0.009 6%, 0.026 7%),0.0333% (0.0210%, 0.0710%) and 0.0072% (0.003 8%, 0.011 7%), respectively. The estimated number of drug users [M (Q₁, Q₃)] was 918 (549, 1 511), 2 429 (1 578, 4 383), 5 451 (3 444, 11 642) and 1 173 (626, 1 925),respectively. Conclusion: Codeine, methadone, ketamine and morphine have been detected in the sludge of WWTPs in Beijing, and the consumption level of these drugs varies in different seasons.
Humans ; Beijing ; Wastewater-Based Epidemiological Monitoring ; Sewage/analysis* ; Wastewater ; Ketamine/analysis* ; Codeine/analysis* ; Methadone/analysis* ; Water Pollutants, Chemical/analysis*

Sulfonamides (SAs) are a kind of antibiotics widely used in medical treatment and livestock breeding. However, they have poor degradability in human and animal intestines, and will enter the sewage treatment system through the discharge of feces and urine. The aerobic activated sludge (AAS) in wastewater treatment plant was found to be able to effectively transform SAs. This article summarizes the advances in biodegradation of SAs in aerobic activated sludge system, which includes the biodegradation mechanisms, the main biodegradation pathways, and the environmental factors affecting the degradation efficiency. Challenges encountered in the current research were discussed, with the aim to provide scientific basis for optimizing the biodegradation of SAs in wastewater treatment process.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Biodegradation, Environmental ; Humans ; Sewage ; Sulfonamides ; Water Pollutants, Chemical/analysis*

To investigate the epidemic and evolutionary trends of enterovirus (EV) in the external environment of Yunnan Province, China, molecular typing was performed on 4 EV strains that were isolated from environmental sewage in Yunnan. The VP1 region of isolates was amplified by RT-PCR using universal enterovirus primers, and the amplified VP1 region was sequenced for GenBank BLAST search and genotype analysis. The 4 EV strains were identified as ECHO7. Their nucleotide and amino acid homologies with the VP1 sequences of 68 ECHO7 strains retrieved from GenBank were measured by Mega software analysis. Our findings showed that ECHO7 strains from environmental sewage and population samples were in different evolutionary branches. These strains showed typical geographical and temporal differences; In addition, there were different transmission chains at the same time and in the same area. ECHO7 strains isolated from sewage water and patients with acute flaccid paralysis during the same period in Yunnan belonged to different clusters and evolved at different speeds. Special concerns are needed for this problem. Continuous molecular biological surveillance of human EV in the external environment of Yunnan will provide strong support for early warning of EV diseases.
China ; Databases, Genetic ; Enterovirus ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Evolution, Molecular ; Humans ; Molecular Epidemiology ; Sequence Analysis ; Sewage ; virology

In order to simultaneously remove carbon and nitrogen from organic-rich wastewater, we used an up-flow anaerobic sludge bed/blanket (UASB) reactor that was started up with anammox with high concentration of carbon and nitrogen by gradually raising the organic loading of influent. We optimized the removal of nitrogen and carbon when the chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration varied from 172 to 620 mg/L. During the entire experiment, the ammonium and total nitrogen removal efficiency was higher than 85%, while the average COD removal efficiency was 56.6%. The high concentration of organic matter did not restrain the activity of anammox bacteria. Based on polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) and tapping sequencing analyses, the Planctomycete, Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, Chlorobi bacteria are detected in the UASB reactor, which indicated complex removal pathway of carbon and nitrogen coexisted in the reactor. However, a part of Planctomycete which referred to anammox bacteria could tolerate a high content of organic carbon, and it provided help for high performance of nitrogen removal in UASB reactor.
Ammonia ; chemistry ; Biological Oxygen Demand Analysis ; Bioreactors ; Carbon ; chemistry ; Nitrogen ; chemistry ; Sewage ; Waste Disposal, Fluid ; methods ; Waste Water ; chemistry

Scedosporium apiospermum is an asexual state of Pseudallescheria boydii which has been isolated from soil, sewage, and decaying vegetation. It can cause cutaneous infections by traumatic implantation of the contaminant due to penetrating injury. This ubiquitous fungus cause not only mycetoma, but also infections of variety of body sites including the skin. The localized skin infection due to this organism is much rare than mycetoma. We report a case of cutaneous S. apiospermum infection occurred in 80-year-old male. The skin lesion was manifested by a 8.0 x 4.0 cm-sized erythematous plaque with pustules and crusts on the dorsum of right hand. The fungal culture from the biopsy specimen on Sabouraud's dextrose agar showed white to gray colored cottony colonies of S. apiospermum. The nucleotide sequence of internal transcribed spacer for clinical isolate was identical to that of S. apiospermum strain IHEM 23829. The patient was treated with oral fluconazole for 3 months.
Agar ; Aged, 80 and over ; Base Sequence ; Biopsy ; Fluconazole ; Fungi ; Glucose ; Hand ; Humans ; Male ; Mycetoma ; Pseudallescheria ; Scedosporium* ; Sequence Analysis, DNA* ; Sewage ; Skin* ; Soil

Early-warning of compartmentalized anaerobic reactor (CAR) was investigated in lab-scale. The performance stability of CAR at high loading rate was worse than that at common loading rate. At high loading rate, the fluctuation of effluent chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration and volatile fatty acids (VFA) concentration was larger than that of influent COD concentration. The average relative standard deviation of effluent COD concentration and VFA concentration was 32.95% and 40.46% respectively, while that of influent COD concentration was 8.08%. The saturation of volumetric loading rate (S(VLR)) and VFA (S(VFA)) could be used to alarm the performance of anaerobic reactors. The working performance was good when the CAR was operated at normal organic loading rate (OLR), in which S(VLR) and S(VFA) were below 0.89 and 0.40 respectively. The fluctuation of performance became larger when the CAR was operated at OLR near saturation, in which S(VLR) and S(VFA) were close to 1. The performance of CAR was deteriorated when the S(VLR) and S(VFA) were more than 1.
Anaerobiosis ; Biological Oxygen Demand Analysis ; Bioreactors ; microbiology ; Fatty Acids, Volatile ; analysis ; Sewage ; Waste Disposal, Fluid ; methods

Start-up and process control of a pilot-scale anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (Anammox) bioreactor were studied at ambient temperature. Inoculated with a mixture of nitrification-denitrification sludge, nitritation sludge, anaerobic floc sludge and anaerobic granular sludge, the pilot-scale Anammox bioreactor was successfully started up within 255 days at 5 degrees C-27 degrees C. The nitrogen removal rate reached 1.30 kg/(m3 x d). Three facets were taken into account to facilitate the process initiation. First, in terms of alkalization in Anammox, influent pH was kept at about 6.8. Besides, nitrite concentration was kept as low as 13-36 mg/L. Finally, 2% (volumetric ratio) of Anammox sludge from lab-scale bioreactors was supplemented to the pilot-scale one.
Ammonia ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Bacteria, Anaerobic ; metabolism ; Bioreactors ; microbiology ; Nitrites ; analysis ; Nitrogen ; metabolism ; Oxidation-Reduction ; Sewage ; microbiology ; Waste Disposal, Fluid ; instrumentation ; methods

OBJECTIVETo study the correlation between Vibrio cholerae strains isolated from natural enviroment and fishery products and the source of infection during V. cholerae outbreaks.

METHODSCholera toxin gene was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was used to subtype the isolates. Results of PFGE were analyzed and clustered by BioNumerics software (Version 4.0).

RESULTSDuring the outbreaks, a total number of thirty O139 V. cholerae related serogroups were collected from patients, carriers, sewage and fishery products were identified and proved to be toxigenic. They could be clustered into four PFGE patterns when digested by Not I. These two V. cholerae outbreaks were caused by the same source of infection because of the following reasons: (1) PFGE patterns of the predominant strains isolated from two outbreaks were identical; (2) they were identical to the PFGE patterns of the strains isolated from the green turtle and rana catesbiana which were bought from the same wholesale store.

CONCLUSIONGreen turtle and rana catesbiana that were contaminated by toxigenic O139 V. cholerae strains seemed to be the source of infection causing the O139 V. cholerae outbreaks in Jiangxi province. Rapid laboratory surveillance and epidemiologic investigation were important in identifying the source of infection during the outbreaks of V. cholera.

Animals ; China ; epidemiology ; Cholera ; epidemiology ; Cluster Analysis ; Disease Outbreaks ; Disease Reservoirs ; microbiology ; Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field ; methods ; Fisheries ; Humans ; Ranidae ; microbiology ; Sewage ; microbiology ; Turtles ; microbiology ; Vibrio cholerae O139 ; isolation & purification

OBJECTIVETo investigate the function of a novel biosensor used for the rapid determination of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) which is developed by our research group based on suspended immobilized microbial cell system in a completely mixed determining chamber as a substitute of the traditional membrane system.

METHODSActivated sludge was immobilized by PVA gel and used as a bio-sensing element. The novel biosensor was used to measure the short time BOD value and the conventional cultivation method was used for BOD5 measurement.

RESULTSA linear relationship was observed for the difference between the current and the concentration of glucose-glutamic acid (GGA) solution below 200 mg/L with a correlation coefficient of 0.995. The optimal response of the sensor was obtained at pH 7.0 and 30 degrees C. The sensor response was within 15 min and was reproducible within +/- 5% of the mean in a series of eight samples containing 75 mg/L BOD using standard GGA solution. The novel sensor response was found to be fairly constant over a period of 30 days, with +/- 5% fluctuations.

CONCLUSIONA relatively good agreement is found between BOD estimated by the novel BOD biosensor and that determined by the conventional 5-day BOD method. This novel BOD biosensor has good sensitivity, stability and reproducibility.

Biosensing Techniques ; Boric Acids ; chemistry ; Glucose ; metabolism ; Glutamic Acid ; metabolism ; Oxygen ; analysis ; metabolism ; Polyvinyl Alcohol ; chemistry ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sewage ; microbiology ; Temperature

OBJECTIVETo investigate the influence of salinity variations on the performance of activated sludge systems, treating domestic wastewater.

METHODSThe completely mixed reactor was used and operated in a batch-wise mode. The activated sludge taken from the Gaobeidian Wastewater Treatment Plant was used as a seeding sludge. Total organic carbon (TOC), oxygen uptake rate (OUR) and suspended solids (SS) were used as parameters to characterize the performance of the treatment systems. TOC was measured using a TOC-analyzer (TOC-5000, Japan). The OUR value was measured with a dissolved oxygen meter (YSI model-58). SS was measured gravimetrically.

RESULTSThe TOC removal efficiency and the OUR value of activated sludge were not deteriorated when the NaCl shock concentration was less than 0.5 g/L. However, when the NaCl shock concentrations were up to 10g/L and 20 g/L, the OUR of activated sludge was reduced by 35% and TOC removal efficiency was dropped by 30%, compared with the control experiment without NaCl shock loading.

CONCLUSIONThe effect of NaCl shock loading on the activated sludge wastewater treatment system is dependant upon the NaCl concentrations and the degree of influence can be inferred through the change of substrate utilization rate at different shock NaCl loadings.

Bioreactors ; Carbon ; analysis ; Oxygen ; metabolism ; Sewage ; chemistry ; Sodium Chloride ; Waste Disposal, Fluid