Cryptosporidium ssp. oocysts, giardia ssp. cysts and virus in sewage and sewage sludge: An approach for public health

Cryptosporidium ssp. oocysts, Giardia ssp. cysts and virus in sewage and sewage sludge: an approach for public health.

TONANI, K.A.A.*; JULIÃO, F.C.*; TREVILATO, T.M.B.**; TAKAYANAGUI, A.M.M.***; SEGURA-MUÑOZ, S.I.***

In Brazil, intestinal parasitosis and virus diseases are an important problem in public health, due to its high prevalence and different clinical manifestations. Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. are protozoa transmitted in contaminated water and can cause severe or moderate gastroenteritis in men and animals. The enteric, adenoviruses, and Enteroviruses (Poliovirus, Echovirus, Coxsackievirus) are important groups of viruses that can be transmitted in residual water and sewage sludge. Considering the few studies about viruses and parasites in residual water and sewage sludge, in environmental samples carried out in Brazil, the present study aimed to show the importance of such parasites and viruses to public health, through a bibliographical survey on the theme. It was observed that, in Brazil, researches about the presence of these protozoa are recent. Dias Júnior (1999) analized the presence of these protozoa in sewage samples in Araras-SP and the results showed densities of 2.227/L and 472/L for Giardia cysts and Cryptosporidium oocysts, respectively. Farias (2000) analyzed samples of sewage in São Paulo-SP, the concentration was 1.200 oocysts/L for Cryptosporidium spp. Studies on environmental virology, in cities in the state of São Paulo, between 1998 and 2003, identified the presence of HAV (Hepatitis A) (SASSAROLI et al., 2000), rotavirus (QUEIROZ et al., 2001; PAULI et al., 2003) and adenovirus (MARTINS et al., 2003) in the water of the sewages, brooks and wells analyzed. Thus it is concluded that an adequate evaluation of the quality of the sewage treated and returned to the environment, regarding the physicochemical, parasitological, bacteriological and virological parameters, is essential to re-establish the equilibrium of nature and, therefore, population’s quality of life.