ArticleInfectious diseases of poverty2016
Prevalence of pathogenic free-living amoeba and other protozoa in natural and communal piped tap water from Queen Elizabeth protected area, Uganda.
Article in Infectious diseases of poverty, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 39 citations in OpenAlex.
- The triple threat of Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and Entamoeba infections in Nigerian children.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Protozoan communities serve as a strong indicator of water quality in the Nile River.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Metabarcoding of protozoa and helminth in black-necked cranes: a high prevalence of parasites and free-living amoebae.Parasite (Paris, France) · 2024Article
- Neuroimmunology of Common Parasitic Infections in Africa.Frontiers in immunology · 2022Review
- Article
- Annual burden of disease in Nakaale, Karamoja: A descriptive, cross-sectional study.PLOS global public health · 2022Article
- High oxygen concentrations inhibit Acanthamoeba spp.Parasitology research · 2021Article
- Food and waterborne protozoan parasites: The African perspective.Food and waterborne parasitology · 2020Article
- The impact of water crises and climate changes on the transmission of protozoan parasites in Africa.Pathogens and global health · 2018Review
- Cryptosporidium and Giardia in Africa: current and future challenges.Parasites & vectors · 2017Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPathogenic water dwelling protozoa such as Acanthamoeba spp., Hartmannella spp., Naegleria spp., Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. are often responsible for devastating illnesses especially in children and immunocompromised individuals, yet their presence and prevalence in certain environment in sub-Saharan Africa is still unknown to most researchers, public health officials and medical practitioners. The objective of this study was to establish the presence and prevalence of pathogenic free-living amoeba (FLA), Cryptosporidium and Giardia in Queen Elizabeth Protected Area (QEPA).
methodsSamples were collected from communal taps and natural water sites in QEPA. Physical water parameters were measured in situ. The samples were processed to detect the presence of FLA trophozoites by xenic cultivation, Cryptosporidium oocysts by Ziehl-Neelsen stain and Giardia cysts by Zinc Sulphate floatation technique. Parasites were observed microscopically, identified, counted and recorded. For FLA, genomic DNA was extracted for amplification and sequencing.
resultsBoth natural and tap water sources were contaminated with FLA, Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. All protozoan parasites were more abundant in the colder rainy season except for Harmannella spp. and Naegleria spp. which occurred more in the warmer months. The prevalence of all parasites was higher in tap water than in natural water samples. There was a strong negative correlation between the presence of Acanthamoeba spp., Hartmannella spp., Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. with Dissolved Oxygen (DO) (P < 0.05). The presence of Cryptosporidium spp. showed a significant positive correlation (P < 0.05) with conductivity, pH and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS); whereas the presence of Giardia spp. had only a strong positive correlation with TDS. Molecular genotyping of FLA produced 7 Acanthamoeba, 5 Echinamoeba, 2 Hartmannella, 1 Bodomorpha, 1 Nuclearia and 1 Cercomonas partial sequences.
conclusionsAll water collection sites were found to be contaminated with pathogenic protozoa that could possibly be the cause of a number of silent morbidities and mortalities among rural households in QEPA. This implies that water used by communities in QEPA is of poor quality and predisposes them to a variety of protozoan infections including the FLA whose public health importance was never reported, thus necessitating adoption of proper water safety measures.
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