Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32671553›Full record

ArticleEnvironmental monitoring and assessment2020

Occurrence and diversity of waterborne fungi and associated mycotoxins in treated drinking water distribution system in South Africa: implications on water quality and public health.

Thandazile Ntombie Mhlongo, Henry Joseph Odour Ogola, Ramganesh Selvarajan, Timothy Sibanda, Ilunga Kamika, Memory Tekere

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Environmental monitoring and assessment, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
1.6field-weighted citation impact, top 14% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 15 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Greywater Reuse: Contaminant Profile, Health Implications, and Sustainable Solutions.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 1 institution in 3 countries.

Thandazile Ntombie MhlongoDepartment of Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa-Science Campus, Florida, 1710, South Africa. eshongtn@unisa.ac.za.
Henry Joseph Odour OgolaDepartment of Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa-Science Campus, Florida, 1710, South Africa.
Ramganesh SelvarajanDepartment of Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa-Science Campus, Florida, 1710, South Africa.
Timothy SibandaDepartment of Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa-Science Campus, Florida, 1710, South Africa.
Ilunga KamikaDepartment of Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa-Science Campus, Florida, 1710, South Africa.
Memory TekereDepartment of Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa-Science Campus, Florida, 1710, South Africa.
University of South Africa · ZA

Funding

Water Research Commission, South Africa K5/2568
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Despite increased public health concerns on the occurrences of potentially pathogenic/mycotoxigenic fungi in public drinking water system, dissemination of hygienically relevant fungi and their associated mycotoxins via distribution system under the dual burden of ageing infrastructure and ancillary distribution network lacking infrastructure for high-pressure water delivery systems is unknown. In this study, the diversity of fungi and occurrence of mycotoxins at 30 different points along treated piped water supply and ancillary distribution networks in Johannesburg, South Africa, were monitored for 12 months. Mycological analysis using cultural and molecular methods yielded 282 fungi belonging to phylum Ascomycota, having Aspergillus (91%), Penicillium (65%) and Trichoderma (31%) as dominant genera, with Aspergillus fumigatus, Penicillium citrinum, Purpureocillium lilacinum and Aspergillus flavus as the most prevalent species. Communal standpipe and reservoir outlets had significantly higher prevalence than other water samples. There was no strong correlation between total coliforms (r = 0.4266) and residual chlorine (r = - 0.1937), and fungal prevalence at p < 0.05. LC-MS/MS analysis detected aflatoxins B1, M1, G1 and G2 in 50, 9, 9 and 46% of water samples analysed, respectively, ranging between 0 and 3.18 ng/l. Deoxynivalenol (DON), 3-acetyl DON and 15-acetyl DON levels were between 8.4-96.1, 18.7-145.7 and 15.2-71.6 ng/l, respectively. However, the estimated average daily dose (ADD) for detected mycotoxins was below the tolerable daily intake (TDI), suggesting no toxicological risk. Presence of potentially mycotoxigenic fungi, despite the low toxicological risk, demonstrates a need for appropriate monitoring for fungi and mycotoxins in treated drinking water distribution systems for improved water quality and long-term public health assurance.

Indexed as

Drinking WaterChromatography, LiquidEnvironmental MonitoringFood ContaminationFungiMycotoxinsPublic HealthSouth AfricaTandem Mass SpectrometryWater QualityDrinking WaterMycotoxinsDrinking waterFungiMycotoxinsPublic healthWater quality

Identifiers

PMID32671553
OpenAlexW3042951255

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.