Abstract
Free-living amoebae (FLA) include amphizoic microorganisms important in public health, widely isolated from air, water, and soil. However, its occurrence in sewage-related environments still needs to be systematically documented. This study summarizes the occurrence of FLA in sewage-related environments through a systematic review with meta-analysis. A total of 1983 scientific article were retrieved from different databases, of which 35 were selected and analyzed using a random effects forest plot model with a 95% confidence interval (IC). The pooled overall prevalence of FLA in sewage across 12 countries was 68.96% (95% IC = 58.5–79.42). Subgroup analysis indicates high prevalence in all environments analyzed, including sewage water from the sewage treatment plant (81.19%), treated sewage water (75.57%), sewage-contaminated water (67.70%), sediment contaminated by sewage (48.91%), and sewage water (47.84%). Prevalence values of Acanthamoeba spp., Hartmanella/Vermamoeba spp., and Naegleria spp. are 47.48%, 28.24%, and 16.69%, respectively. Analyzing the species level, the distribution is as follows: Acanthamoeba palestinensis (88%), A. castellanii (23.74%), A. astronyxis (19.18%), A. polyphaga (13.59%), A. culbertsoni (12.5%), A. stevensoni (8.33%), A. tubiashi (4.35%) and A. hatchetti (1.1%), Naegleria fowleri (28.4%), N. gruberi (25%), N. clarki (8.33%), N. australiensis (4.89%) and N. italica (4.29%), Hartmannella/Vermamoeba exundans (40%) and H.V. vermiform (32.61%). Overall, our findings indicate a high risk associated with sewage-related environments, as the prevalence of FLA, including pathogenic strains, is high, even in treated sewage water. The findings of this study may be valuable both for risk remediation actions against amoebic infections and for future research endeavors.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal e Nível Superior) for the scholarship granted to Silva, TCB and Chaúque, BJM, and to CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico) for the researcher grant to Rott, MB.
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T.C.B.S. conceived the project, collected data, and wrote the manuscript. B.J.M.C. contributed to the idealization of the project, data collection, analysis verification, and writing of the manuscript. GBB conducted formal data analysis and revised the manuscript. M.B.R. supervised project management and manuscript review. All authors approved the publication of this manuscript in its current form.
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da Silva, T.C.B., Chaúque, B.J.M., Benitez, G.B. et al. Global prevalence of potentially pathogenic free-living amoebae in sewage and sewage-related environments—systematic review with meta-analysis. Parasitol Res 123, 148 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-024-08164-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-024-08164-7