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Volume 19
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10.3390/ijerph19031657
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Article

Parasitological Assessment of Sewage Sludge Samples for Potential Agricultural Reuse in Tunisia

by
Sonia Sabbahi
1,*,
Layla Ben Ayed
2,
Monia Trad
1,
Ronny Berndtsson
3,* and
Panagiotis Karanis
4
1
LR16INRGREF02 Laboratoire de Recherche Valorisation des Eaux Non Conventionnelles, Institut National de Recherche en Génie Rural Eaux et Forêts (INRGREF) Rue Hédi Karray, Université de Carthage, Ariana 2080, Tunisia
2
Laboratoire Sciences et Technologies des Eaux, Institut National Agronomique de Tunisie, 43 Avenue Charles Nicolle, Tunis 1082, Tunisia
3
Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies, Division of Water Resources Engineering, Lund University, SE-22100 Lund, Sweden
4
Department of Basic and Clinical Sciences, University of Nicosia Medical School, 21 Ilia Papakyriakou, 2414 Engomi, CY-1700 Nicosia, Cyprus
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(3), 1657; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031657
Submission received: 13 January 2022 / Revised: 28 January 2022 / Accepted: 28 January 2022 / Published: 31 January 2022
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Abstract

Wastewater sludge represents an important resource for reuse in agriculture. However, potentially harmful pathogens are a main threat in this context. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the presence of helminth ova and protozoan cysts in dried sewage sludge samples collected from ten wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) located in eight governorates in Tunisia. Based on morphological criteria, protozoan cysts of Giardia spp., Entamoeba histolytica/dispar/moshkovskii, and Entamoeba coli, were detected in all dried sludge composite samples (N = 116) from the investigated WWTPs. The mean concentration ranged from 1.4 to 10.7 cysts per 100 g dry matter (DM). The identified helminth eggs were Ascaris spp., Strongyles, Taeniid eggs, Hymenolepis nana, Enterobius vermicularis, and hookworm species. Ascaris spp. and Taeniid eggs were detected in 56.9 and 74.1% of analyzed samples, respectively. The presence of Trichuris spp., Hymenolepis diminuta, and Toxocara spp. eggs in dried sewage sludge samples was low (0.9, 1.7, and 2.6%, respectively). The mean concentration of helminth eggs during the three-year study was less than 1 egg/100 g DM. All examined dried sewage sludge sample contents were below the WHO (2006) and US EPA (2003) recommendations, and thus, the sludge can potentially be reused in agriculture.
Keywords: agricultural reuse; dried sewage sludge; helminth ova; protozoan cysts; semiarid climate; Tunisia agricultural reuse; dried sewage sludge; helminth ova; protozoan cysts; semiarid climate; Tunisia

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MDPI and ACS Style

Sabbahi, S.; Ben Ayed, L.; Trad, M.; Berndtsson, R.; Karanis, P. Parasitological Assessment of Sewage Sludge Samples for Potential Agricultural Reuse in Tunisia. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 1657. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031657

AMA Style

Sabbahi S, Ben Ayed L, Trad M, Berndtsson R, Karanis P. Parasitological Assessment of Sewage Sludge Samples for Potential Agricultural Reuse in Tunisia. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022; 19(3):1657. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031657

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sabbahi, Sonia, Layla Ben Ayed, Monia Trad, Ronny Berndtsson, and Panagiotis Karanis. 2022. "Parasitological Assessment of Sewage Sludge Samples for Potential Agricultural Reuse in Tunisia" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, no. 3: 1657. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031657

APA Style

Sabbahi, S., Ben Ayed, L., Trad, M., Berndtsson, R., & Karanis, P. (2022). Parasitological Assessment of Sewage Sludge Samples for Potential Agricultural Reuse in Tunisia. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(3), 1657. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031657

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