title: Microbial quality of hemodialysis water, a survey of six centers in Lagos, Nigeria.
abstract: Patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESRD) on maintenance hemodialysis (HD) are usually exposed to large volumes of dialysate, which is separated from patients' blood only by thin membrane of dialyzer. It is therefore essential to frequently monitor the quality of HD water to ensure that it meets the recommended standards. The objective of this study was to evaluate the microbial quality of HD water in Lagos, Nigeria. Four sets of pre- and post-treatment water samples, 20 mL each, were collected from six HD centers in Lagos and tested for microbial contamination using the molten Tryptic soy agar in accordance with Association for Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) and European Best Practice Guidelines (EBPG). Pyrogen tests were also conducted on pre- and post-treatment samples using standard technique. Information on water treatment modalities, maintenance practices and quality control measures in each center were obtained using a questionnaire. All centers use treated water for HD purpose. None of the HD centers met EBPG/AAMI guidelines for microbial contaminants as the mean levels of Escherichia coli in both feed and treated water were 441.7 ± 87.90 and 168.5 ± 64.03, respectively. E. coli was the commonest organism isolated in both feed and treated water in all the centers. HD water quality is still a neglected problem in our environment and more efforts are required to ensure good water quality for HD purpose.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria; Department of Medicine, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Rotimi Williams
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Braimoh
authors.forename: Monica Omolara
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Mabayoje
authors.forename: Christiana Oluwatoyin
authors.initials: CO
authors.lastname: Amira
authors.forename: Babawale Taslim
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Bello
mesh_terms: D003625:Data Collection; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D009549:Nigeria; D014871:Water Microbiology; D018508:Water Purification; D060753:Water Quality
keywords: Microbial quality; hemodialysis; water