Open AccessEvaluation of the occurrence of pathogenic free‐living amoeba and bacteria in 20 public indoor swimming pool facilities
Author(s) -
ReyesBatlle María,
Gabriel Marta F.,
RodríguezExpósito Rubén,
Felgueiras Fátima,
Sifaoui Ines,
Mourão Zenaida,
Oliveira Fernandes Eduardo,
Piñero José E.,
LorenzoMorales Jacob
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
microbiologyopen
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.881
H-Index - 36
ISSN - 2045-8827
DOI - 10.1002/mbo3.1159
Subject(s) - pathogenic bacteria , bacteria , biology , pathogenicity , human health , microbiology and biotechnology , environmental health , medicine , genetics
Recently, indoor swimming pool activities have increased to promote health‐enhancing physical activities, which require establishing suitable protocols for disinfection and water quality control. Normally, the assessment of the microbial quality of the water in the pools only considers the presence of different bacteria. However, other less frequent but more resistant pathogens, such as free‐living amoebas (FLA), are not contemplated in both existing recommendation and research activities. FLA represent a relevant human health risk, not only due to their pathogenicity but also due to the ability to act as vehicles of other pathogens, such as bacteria. Therefore, this work aimed to study the physicochemical characteristics and the occurrence of potentially pathogenic FLA and bacteria in water samples from 20 public indoor swimming facilities in Northern Portugal. Our results showed that some swimming pools presented levels of pH, free chlorine, and conductivity out of the recommended limits. Pathogenic FLA species were detected in two of the facilities under study, where we also report the presence of both, FLA and pathogenic bacteria. Our findings evidence the need to assess the occurrence of FLA and their existence in the same environmental niche as pathogenic bacteria in swimming pool facilities worldwide and to establish recommendations to safeguard the health of the users.