Detail of Grant Awarded Academic Researches
Project |
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Evaluation of risk of pathogen infection via contaminated water during recreational activities in the Tamagawa River basin |
Academic Research |
No.299 |
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Principal Investigator |
Eiji Haramoto |
Affiliation | Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine and Engineering, University of Yamanashi |
Research Summary |
This study aimed to determine the prevalence of waterborne pathogens (i.e., viruses and protozoa) in the Tamagawa River water. River water samples (2 l each) were subjected to pathogen concentration using the electronegative-membrane vortex method, followed by quantitative detection of viruses and protozoa using real-time PCR and fluorescent microscopy, respectively. During a 14-month survey, human adenovirus, noroviruses GI and GII, Aichivirus, Cryptosporidium oocysts, and Giardia cysts were successfully detected in 22 (52%), 28 (67%), 7 (17%), 23 (55%), 9 (21%), and 25 (60%) of the 42 river water samples, respectively. Compared to the upstream site (Site 1), the prevalence of pathogens was quite high in the midstream and downstream sites (Sites 2 and 3), implying a significant effect of treated sewage on pathogen contamination of the river. Indicator microorganisms such as total coliforms were also detected in high concentrations at Sites 2 and 3. Based on the sequence analysis, a zoonotic genotype of Giardia cysts and waterborne human adenovirus genotypes 40 and 41 were identified in these samples. The electronegative membrane-vortex method successfully concentrated Bacteroidales genomes, suggesting a potential future application of this method to bacteria detection. Among the 3 sites studied, the concentration of probably-infectious pathogens was the highest at Site 2. |
Collaborators |
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Full Text | Download (Japanese Only) |