Bacterial pathogens recovered from vegetables irrigated by wastewater in Morocco.* In Morocco, the rate of precipitation has been very low during these last decades. * Wastewater is increasingly being used in agriculture. * Wastewater can contain heavy metals, organic compounds, and a wide spectrum of enteric pathogens. * The use of raw sewage to irrigate ir·ri·gate v. To wash out a cavity or wound with a fluid. crops helps to propagate conditions conducive to cholera and typhoid fever typhoid fever acute, generalized infection caused by Salmonella typhi. The main sources of infection are contaminated water or milk and, especially in urban communities, food handlers who are carriers. . * The authors examined 50 vegetable samples from various regions in Morocco. * The vegetables were tomato, radish, cucumber, eggplant, potato, pepper, garden pea, gourd gourd (gôrd, g  rd), common name for some members of the Cucurbitaceae, a family of plants whose range includes all tropical and subtropical areas and extends into the temperate zones. , zucchini, artichoke artichoke, name for two different plants of the family Asteraceae (aster family), both having edible parts. The French, or globe, artichoke (Cynara scolymus , broad bean, turnip turnip, garden vegetable of the same genus of the family Cruciferae (mustard family) as the cabbage; native to Europe, where it has been long cultivated. The two principal kinds are the white (Brassica rapa) and the yellow (B. ,
onion, French bean, and lettuce.
* The analyses showed high aerobic-plate, total-coliform, fecal-coliform, and enterococci enterococci bacteria in the genus Enterococcus. counts. * Coagulase-positive Staphylococcus aureus was not detected in any samples. * Citrobacter freundii and Enterobacter cloacae were recovered most frequently. * Other Gram-negative bacteria that were frequently isolated were -- Escherichia coli, -- Enterobacter sakazakii, -- Klebsiella pneumoniae, and -- Serratia liquefaciens. * The fact that some bacteria and not others are present can be explained by a difference in their capacity to attach to plants. * Thus, the study demonstrated that the potential for disease transmission exists when wastewater is used for irrigation irrigation, in agriculture, artificial watering of the land. Although used chiefly in regions with annual rainfall of less than 20 in. (51 cm), it is also used in wetter areas to grow certain crops, e.g., rice. . * Pathogens that have been transported by wastewater can survive in soil or on crops. * In other studies, pathogens have been found not only on outer surfaces, but also in the inner tissues of vegetables grown from experimentally contaminated seeds. * Similarly, enteric pathogens were isolated from inside vegetables during the authors' investigation. * A generalized program of wastewater treatment should be considered in Morocco. * Requirements for treated wastewater should respect sanitary standards for agricultural reuse. * Also, standard methods of eliminating pathogenic microorganisms from raw vegetables are urgently needed. |
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