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Journal of Water and Health Vol 6 No 3 pp 365–376 © IWA Publishing 2008 doi:10.2166/wh.2008.050
Faecal contamination of a municipal drinking water distribution system in association with Campylobacter jejuni infections
Tarja Pitkänen, Ilkka T. Miettinen, Ulla-Maija Nakari, Anja Siitonen, Markku Kuusi, Johanna Takkinen, Kalle Nieminen, Arja Holopainen and Marja-Liisa Hänninen
Department of Environmental Health, National Public Health Institute (KTL), Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology, PO Box 95, FI-70701, Kuopio, Finland Tel.: +358 17 201153 Fax: +358 17 201155 tarja.pitkanen@ktl.fi
Department of Bacterial and Inflammatory Diseases, National Public Health Institute (KTL), Enteric Bacteria Laboratory, Mannerheimintie 166, FI-00300, Helsinki, Finland
Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, National Public Health Institute (KTL), Mannerheimintie 166, FI-00300, Helsinki, Finland
City of Mikkeli, Environmental Services, PO Box 33, FI-50101, Mikkeli, Finland
City of Mikkeli, Environmental Services, PO Box 33, FI-50101, Mikkeli, Finland
Viljavuuspalvelu Oy, Savolab, Graanintie 7, FI-50190, Mikkeli, Finland
Department of Food and Environmental Hygiene, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, PO Box 57, FI-00014, Finland
ABSTRACT
After heavy rains Campylobacter jejuni together with high counts of Escherichia coli, other coliforms and intestinal enterococci were detected from drinking water of a municipal distribution system in eastern Finland in August 2004. Three patients with a positive C. jejuni finding, who had drunk the contaminated water, were identified and interviewed. The pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) genotypes from the patient samples were identical to some of the genotypes isolated from the water of the suspected contamination source. In addition, repetitive DNA element analysis (rep-PCR) revealed identical patterns of E. coli and other coliform isolates along the distribution line. Further on-site technical investigations revealed that one of the two rainwater gutters on the roof of the water storage tower had been in an incorrect position and rainwater had flushed a large amount of faecal material from wild birds into the drinking water. The findings required close co-operation between civil authorities, and application of cultivation and genotyping techniques strongly suggested that the municipal drinking water was the source of the infections. The faecal contamination associated with failures in cleaning and technical management stress the importance of instructions for waterworks personnel to perform maintenance work properly.
Keywords: Campylobacter; contamination; drinking water; microbiological method
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