Avaliação Parasitológica da Água Utilizada para Consumo em Escolas Públicas de Coari, Amazonas, Brasil

Parasitological Evaluation of Drinking Water in Public Schools in Coari, Amazonas, Brazil

Abstract

Introduction: Drinking water is essential for human life and its quality is a major public concern, both for consumers and for suppliers and public authorities, since, once contaminated, it becomes a form of transmitting pathogenic microorganisms, putting the health of the individuals who use it at risk. The aim of this study was to analyze the parasitological quality of the water used for human consumption in public schools in the city of Coari, AM. Methods: A total of 180 water samples from 10 municipal public schools were analyzed, 90 samples collected directly from the water tank and 90 from drinking fountains. The samples were collected monthly from August / 2018 to July / 2019, except for the months of January and February. For analysis, the methods of spontaneous sedimentation and centrifugal-flotation in zinc sulfate were used, with some adaptations for water analysis. Results: The presence of parasitic forms was evidenced in two of the 180 samples, corresponding to 1.1% of the total. The intestinal parasites found were cysts of the protozoa Giardia sp. and Entamoeba coli. The two positive samples came directly from the water tank. Conclusion: The prevalence of intestinal parasites in water samples used for human consumption in public schools in Coari was low, and protozoa were identified during the flood period. New research involving the quality of drinking water from a parasitological point of view should be carried out, as a way of knowing the prevalence of parasites and alerting to this important contamination source.