Disinfection and Removal of Human Pathogenic Bacteria in Arctic Waste Stabilization Ponds

Overview

Journal Environ Sci Pollut Res Int

Publisher Springer

Specialties Environmental Health
Toxicology

Date 2017 Mar 30

PMID 28353112

Citations 4

Authors

Yannan Huang

Lisbeth Truelstrup Hansen

Colin M Ragush

Rob C Jamieson

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Wastewater stabilization ponds (WSPs) are commonly used to treat municipal wastewater in Arctic Canada. The biological treatment in the WSPs is strongly influenced by climatic conditions. Currently, there is limited information about the removal of fecal and pathogenic bacteria during the short cool summer treatment season. With relevance to public health, the objectives of this paper were to determine if treatment in arctic WSPs resulted in the disinfection (i.e., removal of fecal indicator bacteria, Escherichia coli) and removal of selected human bacterial pathogens from the treated effluent. The treatment performance, with focus on microbial removal, was assessed for the one-cell WSP in Pond Inlet (Nunavut [NU]) and two-cell WSP in Clyde River (NU) over three consecutive (2012-2014) summer treatment seasons (late June-early September). The WSPs provided a primary disinfection treatment of the wastewater with a 2-3 Log removal of generic indicator E. coli. The bacterial pathogens Salmonella spp., pathogenic E. coli, and Listeria monocytogenes, but not Campylobacter spp. and Helicobacter pylori, were detected in the untreated and treated wastewater, indicating that human pathogens were not reliably removed. Seasonal and annual variations in temperature significantly (p < 0.05) affected the disinfection efficiency. Improved disinfection and pathogen removal was observed for the two-cell system in Clyde River as compared to the one-cell system in Pond Inlet. A quantitative microbial risk assessment should be performed to determine if the release of low levels of human pathogens into the arctic environment poses a human health risk.

Citing Articles

Bacterial Diversity of Marine Biofilm Communities in Terra Nova Bay (Antarctica) by Culture-Dependent and -Independent Approaches.

Melissa B, Elisa B, Gabriella C, Maurizio A, Ombretta D, Andrea D Environ Microbiol. 2025; 27(2):e70045.

PMID: 39895061 PMC: 11788576. DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.70045.

Asymptomatic Carriage of by Animals and Humans and Its Impact on the Food Chain.

Schoder D, Guldimann C, Martlbauer E Foods. 2022; 11(21).

PMID: 36360084 PMC: 9654558. DOI: 10.3390/foods11213472.

Study of coliforms and Clostridium bacteria inactivation in wastewaters by a pilot photolysis process and by the maturation lagoons of a low-cost nature-based WWTP.

Garcia-Prieto J, Nunez-Nunez C, Proal-Najera J, Garcia-Roig M Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2022; 29(23):35484-35499.

PMID: 35060052 PMC: 9076734. DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-18184-w.

Monitoring Microbial Populations and Antibiotic Resistance Gene Enrichment Associated with Arctic Waste Stabilization Ponds.

Gromala M, Neufeld J, McConkey B Appl Environ Microbiol. 2021; 87(7).

PMID: 33452030 PMC: 8091602. DOI: 10.1128/AEM.02914-20.

Chemical and microbial characteristics of municipal drinking water supply systems in the Canadian Arctic.

Daley K, Truelstrup Hansen L, Jamieson R, Hayward J, Piorkowski G, Krkosek W Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2017; 25(33):32926-32937.

PMID: 28612312 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-9423-5.

References

Goldfarb D, Dixon B, Moldovan I, Barrowman N, Mattison K, Zentner C . Nanolitre real-time PCR detection of bacterial, parasitic, and viral agents from patients with diarrhoea in Nunavut, Canada. Int J Circumpolar Health. 2013; 72:19903. PMC: 3619031. DOI: 10.3402/ijch.v72i0.19903. View

Daley K, Jamieson R, Rainham D, Truelstrup Hansen L . Wastewater treatment and public health in Nunavut: a microbial risk assessment framework for the Canadian Arctic. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2017; 25(33):32860-32872. DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-8566-8. View

Stea E, Purdue L, Jamieson R, Yost C, Truelstrup Hansen L . Comparison of the Prevalences and Diversities of Listeria Species and Listeria monocytogenes in an Urban and a Rural Agricultural Watershed. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2015; 81(11):3812-22. PMC: 4421070. DOI: 10.1128/AEM.00416-15. View

KLOCK J . Survival of coliform bacteria in wastewater treatment lagoons. J Water Pollut Control Fed. 1971; 43(10):2071-83. View

Theron J, Cloete T . Emerging waterborne infections: contributing factors, agents, and detection tools. Crit Rev Microbiol. 2002; 28(1):1-26. DOI: 10.1080/1040-840291046669. View

Harper S, Edge V, Schuster-Wallace C, Berke O, McEwen S . Weather, water quality and infectious gastrointestinal illness in two Inuit communities in Nunatsiavut, Canada: potential implications for climate change. Ecohealth. 2011; 8(1):93-108. DOI: 10.1007/s10393-011-0690-1. View

Lefebvre M, Chang H, Morse A, Veldhuyzen Van Zanten S, Goodman K . Adherence and barriers to H. pylori treatment in Arctic Canada. Int J Circumpolar Health. 2014; 72:22791. PMC: 3887371. DOI: 10.3402/ijch.v72i0.22791. View

Rowe P, Orrbine E, Ogborn M, Wells G, Winther W, Lior H . Epidemic Escherichia coli O157:H7 gastroenteritis and hemolytic-uremic syndrome in a Canadian inuit community: intestinal illness in family members as a risk factor. J Pediatr. 1994; 124(1):21-6. DOI: 10.1016/s0022-3476(94)70249-7. View

Sahlstrom L, Aspan A, Bagge E, Danielsson-Tham M, Albihn A . Bacterial pathogen incidences in sludge from Swedish sewage treatment plants. Water Res. 2004; 38(8):1989-94. DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2004.01.031. View

10.

Stea E, Truelstrup Hansen L, Jamieson R, Yost C . Fecal Contamination in the Surface Waters of a Rural- and an Urban-Source Watershed. J Environ Qual. 2015; 44(5):1556-67. DOI: 10.2134/jeq2014.11.0459. View

11.

Lyautey E, Lapen D, Wilkes G, McCleary K, Pagotto F, Tyler K . Distribution and characteristics of Listeria monocytogenes isolates from surface waters of the South Nation River watershed, Ontario, Canada. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2007; 73(17):5401-10. PMC: 2042075. DOI: 10.1128/AEM.00354-07. View

12.

McKeown I, Orr P, MacDonald S, Kabani A, Brown R, Coghlan G . Helicobacter pylori in the Canadian arctic: seroprevalence and detection in community water samples. Am J Gastroenterol. 1999; 94(7):1823-9. DOI: 10.1111/j.1572-0241.1999.01212.x. View

13.

Farber J, Ross W, Harwig J . Health risk assessment of Listeria monocytogenes in Canada. Int J Food Microbiol. 1996; 30(1-2):145-56. DOI: 10.1016/0168-1605(96)01107-5. View

14.

Palmgren H, McCafferty D, Aspan A, Broman T, Sellin M, Wollin R . Salmonella in sub-Antarctica: low heterogeneity in Salmonella serotypes in South Georgian seals and birds. Epidemiol Infect. 2000; 125(2):257-62. PMC: 2869596. DOI: 10.1017/s0950268899004586. View

15.

Broman T, Bergstrom S, On S, Palmgren H, McCafferty D, Sellin M . Isolation and characterization of Campylobacter jejuni subsp. jejuni from macaroni penguins (Eudyptes chrysolophus) in the subantarctic region. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2000; 66(1):449-52. PMC: 91847. DOI: 10.1128/AEM.66.1.449-452.2000. View

16.

Gauthier M, Simard M, Blais B . Prevalence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella in traditional meats derived from game animals in Nunavik. Rural Remote Health. 2010; 10(2):1329. View

17.

Orr P, Lorencz B, Brown R, Kielly R, Tan B, Holton D . An outbreak of diarrhea due to verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli in the Canadian Northwest Territories. Scand J Infect Dis. 1994; 26(6):675-84. DOI: 10.3109/00365549409008635. View

18.

Rodriguez-Lazaro D, Hernandez M, Scortti M, Esteve T, Vazquez-Boland J, Pla M . Quantitative detection of Listeria monocytogenes and Listeria innocua by real-time PCR: assessment of hly, iap, and lin02483 targets and AmpliFluor technology. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2004; 70(3):1366-77. PMC: 368366. DOI: 10.1128/AEM.70.3.1366-1377.2004. View

19.

Linke K, Ruckerl I, Brugger K, Karpiskova R, Walland J, Muri-Klinger S . Reservoirs of listeria species in three environmental ecosystems. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2014; 80(18):5583-92. PMC: 4178586. DOI: 10.1128/AEM.01018-14. View

20.

Daley K, Castleden H, Jamieson R, Furgal C, Ell L . Municipal water quantities and health in Nunavut households: an exploratory case study in Coral Harbour, Nunavut, Canada. Int J Circumpolar Health. 2014; 73:1-10. PMC: 3970036. DOI: 10.3402/ijch.v73.23843. View