Fecal contamination in irrigation water and microbial quality of vegetable primary production in urban farms of Metro Manila, Philippines

Microbial contamination of fresh produce can present a severe risk to public health. By conducting a rigorous survey of irrigation waters, the impacts of fecal contamination on the quality of produce could be assessed. In this study, surface waters were observed to be contaminated with Escherichia c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Journal of environmental science and health. Part B, Pesticides, food contaminants, and agricultural wastes Vol. 50; no. 10; pp. 734 - 743
Main Authors:	Garcia, Bea Clarise B., Dimasupil, MA. Angela Z., Vital, Pierangeli G., Widmer, Kenneth W., Rivera, Windell L.
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	England Taylor & Francis 03-10-2015 Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects:	Agricultural Irrigation Cities Contamination E coli Escherichia coli - isolation & purification Feces Feces - microbiology Food Contamination - analysis Fresh produce indicator organisms Irrigation irrigation water Microbiology pathogen Philippines Salmonella Salmonella - isolation & purification seasonal variation Soil Microbiology Surface water Vegetables - microbiology Water Microbiology Philippines Philippines, Luzon I., Manila ISEW, Philippines seasonal variation indicator organisms pathogen Fresh produce irrigation water
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Summary:	Microbial contamination of fresh produce can present a severe risk to public health. By conducting a rigorous survey of irrigation waters, the impacts of fecal contamination on the quality of produce could be assessed. In this study, surface waters were observed to be contaminated with Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., and somatic coliphages. Culture methods show that out of 373 irrigation water, soil, and vegetable samples collected for a 1-year period, 232 (62.20%) were found positive for E. coli, 213 (57.26%) for somatic coliphages, and 2 (0.53%) for Salmonella spp. Out of 190 water samples, 167 (87.9%) were found to have E.coli, 174 (91.6%) have somatic coliphages, and 1 (0.5%) with Salmonella spp. In soil samples, 36 of 91 (39.6%) have E. coli, 31 (34.0%) have somatic coliphages, and none with Salmonella spp. Lastly, out of 92 vegetable samples, 29 (31.5%), 8 (8.7%), and 1 (1.1%) were found to have E. coli, somatic coliphages, and Salmonella spp., respectively. Molecular analysis confirmed the presence of bacterial contaminants. Seasonal weather conditions were noted to have an effect on the presence and number of these fecal indicator organisms. The observed data suggest that contaminated irrigation water may greatly affect the quality of fresh produce from these agricultural operations.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	0360-1234 1532-4109
DOI:	10.1080/03601234.2015.1048107