ArticleEnvironmental research2023
Exploring the role of wastewater-based epidemiology in understanding tuberculosis burdens in Africa.
Article in Environmental research, 2023. 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, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- Validation of molecular detection ofMicrobiology spectrum · 2026Article
- Estimation of Beta-Blocker Consumption in the Urban Population Using the Wastewater-Based Epidemiology Approach.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Enteric pathogens in soil adjacent to public waste bins in Maputo, Mozambique offers potential for environmental surveillance.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- Canonical fact versus hypothesis testing to decipher transmission of non-tuberculous and tuberculous mycobacteria: a comparative review.Clinical microbiology reviews · 2025Review
- Partitioning and probe-based quantitative PCR assays for the wastewater monitoring ofJournal of water and health · 2025Article
- A Perspective on Wastewater and Environmental Surveillance as a Public Health Tool for Low- and Middle-Income Countries.Microorganisms · 2025Article
- Burden and determinants of MDR-TB among prisoners in sub-Saharan Africa: Systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.Journal of public health in Africa · 2025Article
- Surveillance of public health pathogens in Lagos wastewater canals: a cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Identification and molecular characterization ofOne health (Amsterdam, Netherlands) · 2024Article
- Optimisation of analytical methods for tuberculosis drug detection in wastewater: A multinational study.Heliyon · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a persistent challenge to public health and presents a substantial menace, especially in developing nations of sub-Saharan Africa. It exerts a considerable strain on healthcare systems in these regions. Effective control requires reliable surveillance, which can be improved by incorporating environmental data alongside clinical data. Molecular advances have led to the development of alternative surveillance methods, such as wastewater-based epidemiology. This studyinvestigated the presence, concentration, and diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, the cause of TB, in from six African countries: Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon, and South Africa. Samples were collected from wastewater treatment plants. All samples were found to contain Mycobacterium species that have been linked to TB in both humans and animals, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium bovis, Mycobacterium africanum, and Mycobacterium caprae, at varying concentrations. The highest median concentration was found in Ghana, reaching up to 4.7 Log copies/ml for MTBC, 4.6 Log copies/ml for M. bovis, and 3.4 Log copies/ml for M. africanum. The presence of M. africanum outside of West Africa was found in South Africa, Kenya, and Uganda and could indicate the spread of the pathogen. The study underscores the usefulness of wastewater-based epidemiology for tracking TB and shows that even treated wastewater may contain these pathogens, posing potential public health risks.
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