Household Water Storage Management, Hygiene Practices, and Associated Drinking Water Quality in Rural India.

Household drinking water storage is commonly practiced in rural India. Fecal contamination may be introduced at the water source, during collection, storage, or access. Within a trial of a community-level water supply intervention, we conducted five quarterly household-level surveys to collect information about water, sanitation, and hygiene practices in rural India. In a random subsample of households, we tested stored drinking water samples for Escherichia coli, concurrently observing storage and access practices. We conducted 9961 surveys and collected 3296 stored water samples. Stored water samples were frequently contaminated with E. coli (69%), and E. coli levels were the highest during the wet season. Most households contributing two or more drinking water samples had detectable E. coli in some (47%) or all (44%) samples. Predictors of stored water contamination with E. coli included consumption of river water and open defecation; consumption of reverse osmosis-treated water and safe water access practices appeared to be protective. Until households can be reached with on-premises continuous safe water supplies, suboptimal household water storage practices are likely to continue. Improvements to source water quality alone are unlikely to prevent exposure to contaminated drinking water unless attention is also given to improving household water storage, access, and sanitation practices.

Bacterial assay for the rapid assessment of antifouling and fouling release properties of coatings and materials.

An assay has been developed to accurately quantify the growth and release behaviour of bacterial biofilms on several test reference materials and coatings, using the marine bacterium Cobetia marina as a model organism. The assay can be used to investigate the inhibition of bacterial growth and release properties of many surfaces when compared to a reference. The method is based upon the staining of attached bacterial cells with the nucleic acid-binding, green fluorescent SYTO 13 stain. A strong linear correlation exists between the fluorescence of the bacterial suspension measured (RFU) using a plate reader and the total bacterial count measured with epifluorescence microscopy. This relationship allows the fluorescent technique to be used for the quantification of bacterial cells attached to surfaces. As the bacteria proliferate on the surface over a period of time, the relative fluorescence unit (RFU) measured using the plate reader also shows an increase with time. This was observed on all three test surfaces (glass, Epikote and Silastic T2) over a period of 4 h of bacterial growth, followed by a release assay, which was carried out by the application of hydrodynamic shear forces using a custom-made rotary device. Different fixed rotor speeds were tested, and based on the release analysis, 12 knots was used to provide standard shear force. The assay developed was then applied for assessing three different antifouling coatings of different surface roughness. The novel assay allows the rapid and sensitive enumeration of attached bacteria directly on the coated surface. This is the first plate reader assay technique that allows estimation of irreversibly attached bacterial cells directly on the coated surface without their removal from the surface or extraction of a stain into solution.

A Stepped Wedge Cluster-Randomized Trial Assessing the Impact of a Riverbank Filtration Intervention to Improve Access to Safe Water on Health in Rural India.

Sustainable and low-cost methods for delivery of safe drinking water in resource-limited settings remain suboptimal, which contributes to global diarrhea morbidity. We aimed to assess whether delivery of riverbank filtration-treated water to newly installed water storage tanks (improved quality and access, intervention condition) reduced reported diarrhea in comparison to delivery of unfiltered river water (improved access alone, control condition) in rural Indian villages. We used a stepped wedge cluster-randomized trial (SW-CRT) design involving four clusters (villages). Selection criteria included village size, proximity to a river, and lack of existing or planned community-level safe water sources. All adults and children were eligible for enrollment. All villages started in the control condition and were sequentially randomized to receive the intervention at 3-month intervals. Our primary outcome was 7-day-period prevalence of self- or caregiver-reported diarrhea, measured at 3-month intervals (five time points). Analysis was by intention to treat. Because blinding was not possible, we incorporated questions about symptoms unrelated to water consumption to check response validity (negative control symptoms). We measured outcomes in 2,222 households (9,836 participants). We did not find a measurable reduction in diarrhea post-intervention (RR: 0.98 [95% CI: 0.24-4.09]); possible explanations include low intervention uptake, availability of other safe water sources, low baseline diarrheal prevalence, and reporting fatigue. Our study highlights both the difficulties in evaluating the impact of real-world interventions and the potential for an optimized SW-CRT design to address budgetary, funding, and logistical constraints inherent in such evaluations.

The potential of nano-structured silicon oxide type coatings deposited by PACVD for control of aquatic biofouling.

SiO(x)-like coatings were deposited on glass slides from a hexamethylsiloxane precursor by plasma-assisted CVD (PACVD). Surface energies (23.1-45.7 mJ m(-1)) were correlated with the degree of surface oxidation and hydrocarbon contents. Tapping mode AFM revealed a range of surface topologies with Ra values 1.55-3.16 nm and RMS roughness 1.96-4.11 nm. Settlement of spores of the green alga Ulva was significantly less, and detachment under shear significantly more on the lowest surface energy coatings. Removal of young plants (sporelings) of Ulva under shear was positively correlated with reducing the surface energy of the coatings. The most hydrophobic coatings also showed good performance against a freshwater bacterium, Pseudomonas fluorescens, significantly reducing initial attachment and biofilm formation, and reducing the adhesion strength of attached bacterial cells under shear. Taken together the results indicate potential for further investigation of these coatings for applications such as heat exchangers and optical instruments.

Poly(ethylene glycol)-containing hydrogel surfaces for antifouling applications in marine and freshwater environments.

This work describes the fabrication, characterization, and biological evaluation of a thin protein-resistant poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-based hydrogel coating for antifouling applications. The coating was fabricated by free-radical polymerization on silanized glass and silicon and on polystyrene-covered silicon and gold. The physicochemical properties of the coating were characterized by infrared spectroscopy, ellipsometry, and contact angle measurements. In particular, the chemical stability of the coating in artificial seawater was evaluated over a six-month period. These measurements indicated that the degradation process was slow under the test conditions chosen, with the coating thickness and composition changing only marginally over the period. The settlement behavior of a broad and diverse group of marine and freshwater fouling organisms was evaluated. The tested organisms were barnacle larvae (Balanus amphitrite), algal zoospores (Ulva linza), diatoms (Navicula perminuta), and three bacteria species (Cobetia marina, Marinobacter hydrocarbonoclasticus, and Pseudomonas fluorescens). The biological results showed that the hydrogel coating exhibited excellent antifouling properties with respect to settlement and removal.

Resistance of galactoside-terminated alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers to marine fouling organisms.

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of galactoside-terminated alkanethiols have protein-resistance properties which can be tuned via the degree of methylation [Langmuir 2005, 21, 2971-2980]. Specifically, a partially methylated compound was more resistant to nonspecific protein adsorption than the hydroxylated or fully methylated counterparts. We investigate whether this also holds true for resistance to the attachment and adhesion of a range of marine species, in order to clarify to what extent resistance to protein adsorption correlates with the more complex adhesion of fouling organisms. The partially methylated galactoside-terminated SAM was further compared to a mixed monolayer of ω-substituted methyl- and hydroxyl-terminated alkanethiols with wetting properties and surface ratio of hydroxyl to methyl groups matching that of the galactoside. The settlement (initial attachment) and adhesion strength of four model marine fouling organisms were investigated, representing both micro- and macrofoulers; two bacteria (Cobetia marina and Marinobacter hydrocarbonoclasticus), barnacle cypris larvae (Balanus amphitrite), and algal zoospores (Ulva linza). The minimum in protein adsorption onto the partially methylated galactoside surface was partly reproduced in the marine fouling assays, providing some support for a relationship between protein resistance and adhesion of marine fouling organisms. The mixed alkanethiol SAM, which was matched in wettability to the partially methylated galactoside SAM, consistently showed higher settlement (initial attachment) of test organisms than the galactoside, implying that both wettability and surface chemistry are insufficient to explain differences in fouling resistance. We suggest that differences in the structure of interfacial water may explain the variation in adhesion to these SAMs.

Chemical defence in mussels: antifouling effect of crude extracts of the periostracum of the blue mussel Mytilus edulis.

Shells of the blue mussel Mytilus edulis remain free of fouling organisms as long as they possess an intact periostracum, and a multiple antifouling defence that comprises a ripple-like microtopography and the production of chemical antifouling compounds has been suggested previously. This study investigates the chemical defence strategy of blue mussels for the first time. Six crude extracts of the periostracum of intact shells were made using solvents of increasing polarity. These extracts were tested against common fouling organisms in laboratory based bioassays. Non-polar and moderately polar fractions showed the highest activities: the diethyl ether fraction strongly inhibited attachment of Balanus amphitrite cyprids and the marine bacteria Cobetia marina and Marinobacter hydrocarbonoclasticus. Attachment of the benthic diatom Amphora coffeaeformis was significantly reduced by the dichloromethane extract, whereas both ethyl acetate and diethyl ether fractions slowed diatom growth. These results provide the first evidence of surface bound compounds that may moderate surface colonisation.

Analysis of microfouling products formed on metallic surfaces exposed in a marine environment.

Mild steel (MS), stainless steel (SS) and copper (Cu) test panels were immersed in the surface water of Dona Paula Bay over a period of 15 d. During the immersion period data on the hydrography, nutrients and suspended matter were also collected. The suspended matter and fouling products on the MS, SS and Cu panels were analysed for organic carbon (OC), organic nitrogen (ON), chlorophyll a (chl a), protein and carbohydrate concentration and composition, and the dry weight (DW) was recorded. Compared to suspended matter, the chemical and biochemical components of the fouling products showed strong temporal and substratum related differences. The microfouling biomass (as DW, OC, ON, chl a and protein) on all the test panels generally increased over the period of immersion. Carbohydrates were more abundant in the suspended matter whereas fouling products were enriched in proteins. The contribution of protein-carbon to the total carbon increased over the period of immersion for the microfouling products on MS and SS whilst it did not show a consistent trend on Cu. Whereas, the carbohydrate-carbon contribution to the total carbon increased for the fouling products on MS, it did not exhibit a particular pattern on SS or Cu over the period of immersion. Capillary gas chromatographic analysis showed the presence of glucose, galactose, mannose, arabinose, xylose fucose and ribose in both the fouling products and suspended matter. However, there were differences in the relative distribution of these monosaccharides in the suspended matter and the fouling products. Glucose was the most abundant monosaccharide, which showed strong temporal variations in suspended matter. In contrast, the wt % concentrations of individual monosaccharides showed large temporal differences for the fouling products, which were strongly influenced by the period of immersion and the type of test substratum. Glucose and fucose were relatively more abundant in the fouling products on SS and Cu, whilst glucose was the most abundant monosaccharide on MS. The monosaccharide and chemical composition data suggest strong temporal changes in the composition of the fouling products.