Abstract
Contaminated water are recognized as a potential source of Cryptosporidium oocysts. In Italy studies on the environmentalspread of the parasite are still scarce even if a high frequencyof serological responses could suggest high rates of endemic Cryptosporidium infections. In this investigation theoccurrence of the parasite in water samples from a municipalwastewater treatment plant was monitored with the aim to evaluatepossible correlation between oocysts and bacterial indicators,pathogens and physico-chemical parameters using a multivariateanalysis. Data collected showed high numbers of oocysts, with ahigh percentage of positive samples and a significant correlationwith pH, redox potential and total organic carbon. No correlationwas found between Cryptosporidium concentration and that of the other microrganisms. The results, through a probing statistical analysis, show that none of the selected microrganisms was a reliable predictor of the presence of theparasite.
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Bonadonna, L., Briancesco, R., Ottaviani, M. et al. Occurrence of Cryptosporidium Oocysts in Sewage Effluents and Correlation with Microbial, Chemical and Physical Water Variables. Environ Monit Assess 75, 241–252 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014852201424
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014852201424