title: Muddying the waters: a new area of concern for drinking water contamination in Cameroon.
abstract: In urban Maroua, Cameroon, improved drinking water sources are available to a large majority of the population, yet this water is frequently distributed through informal distribution systems and stored in home containers (canaries), leaving it vulnerable to contamination. We assessed where contamination occurs within the distribution system, determined potential sources of environmental contamination, and investigated potential pathogens. Gastrointestinal health status (785 individuals) was collected via health surveys. Drinking water samples were collected from drinking water sources and canaries. Escherichia coli and total coliform levels were evaluated and molecular detection was performed to measure human-associated faecal marker, HF183; tetracycline-resistance gene, tetQ; Campylobacter spp.; and Staphylococcus aureus. Statistical analyses were performed to evaluate the relationship between microbial contamination and gastrointestinal illness. Canari samples had higher levels of contamination than source samples. HF183 and tetQ were detected in home and source samples. An inverse relationship was found between tetQ and E. coli. Presence of tetQ with lower E. coli levels increased the odds of reported diarrhoeal illness than E. coli levels alone. Further work is warranted to better assess the relationship between antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and other pathogens in micro-ecosystems within canaries and this relationship's impact on drinking water quality.
authors.affiliation: Division of Environmental Health Sciences, the Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA. jessicamorganhealy@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jessica M Healy
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Profitós
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Maroua, Maroua BP 46, Far North Region, Cameroon. mouharabi@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Arabi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mouhaman
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Technology, the Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA. lee.5178@osu.edu.
authors.forename: Seungjun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, the Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA. garabed.1@osu.edu.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Garabed
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, the Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA. moritz.42@osu.edu.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moritz
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, the Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA. piperata.1@osu.edu.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Piperata
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics, the Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA. tien.20@osu.edu.
authors.forename: Joe
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tien
authors.affiliation: Division of Environmental Health Sciences, the Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA. bisesi.12@osu.edu.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bisesi
authors.affiliation: Division of Environmental Health Sciences, the Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA. lee.3598@osu.edu.
authors.forename: Jiyoung
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D002163:Cameroon; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002947:Cities; D060766:Drinking Water / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013753:Tetracycline Resistance; D060753:Water Quality; D014881:Water Supply; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D060766:Drinking Water