The water chemistry and microbiome of household wells in Medawachchiya, Sri Lanka, an area with high prevalence of chronic kidney disease of unknown origin (CKDu)

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dc.contributor.authorMcDonough, LKen_AU
dc.contributor.authorMeredith, KTen_AU
dc.contributor.authorNikagolla, Cen_AU
dc.contributor.authorMiddleton, RJen_AU
dc.contributor.authorTan, JKen_AU
dc.contributor.authorRanasinghe, AVen_AU
dc.contributor.authorSierro, Fen_AU
dc.contributor.authorBanati, RBen_AU
dc.date.accessioned2022-08-29T01:43:43Zen_AU
dc.date.available2022-08-29T01:43:43Zen_AU
dc.date.issued2020-10-26en_AU
dc.date.statistics2022-08-04en_AU
dc.description.abstractChronic kidney disease (CKD) of unknown etiology (CKDu) mostly affects agricultural communities in Central America, South Asia, Africa, but likely also in North America and Australia. One such area with increased CKDu prevalence is the Medawachchiya District Secretariat Division of the Anuradhapura District in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka. Recent research has focused on the presence of various microbial pathogens in drinking water as potential causal or contributing factors to CKDu, yet no study to date has performed a more comprehensive microbial and water chemistry assessment of household wells used for domestic water supply in areas of high CKDu prevalence. In this study, we describe the chemical composition and total microbial content in 30 domestic household wells in the Medawachchiya District Secretariat Division. While the chemical composition in the tested wells mostly lies within standard drinking water limits, except for high levels of fluoride (F), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), chloride (Cl) and calcium (Ca) in some samples, we find a frequent presence of cyanotoxin-producing Microcystis, confirming earlier studies in Sri Lanka. Since the total microbial content of drinking water also directly influences the composition of the human gut microbiome, it can be considered an important determinant of health. Several bacterial phyla were previously reported in the gut microbiome of patients with CKD. Using these bacteria phyla to define operational taxonomic units, we found that these bacteria also occur in the microbiome of the sampled well water. Based on available environmental data, our study demonstrates associations between the abundances of these bacteria with geographical distribution, well water temperature and likely fertilizer use in the local surface water catchment area of the individual household wells. Our results reinforce the recommendation that household wells with stagnant or infrequently used water should be purged prior to use for drinking water, bathing and irrigation. The latter is suggested because of the reported potential accumulation of bacterial toxins by agricultural crops. The observation that bacteria previously found in chronic kidney disease patients are also present in household wells requires a more detailed systematic study of both the human gut and drinking water microbiomes in CKDu patients, in relation to disease prevalence and progression. © 2020 The Authors - Open Access. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.en_AU
dc.description.sponsorshipThis research was supported by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trading (DFAT) and Australian Nuclear Science Technology Organisation (ANSTO).en_AU
dc.identifier.citationMcDonough, L. K., Meredith, K. T., Nikagolla, C., Middleton, R. J., Tan, J. K., Ranasinghe, A. V., Sierro, F., & Banati, R. B. (2020). The water chemistry and microbiome of household wells in Medawachchiya, Sri Lanka, an area with high prevalence of chronic kidney disease of unknown origin (CKDu). Scientific Reports, 10(1), 1-12. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-75336-7en_AU
dc.identifier.issn2045-2322en_AU
dc.identifier.issue1en_AU
dc.identifier.journaltitleScientific Reportsen_AU
dc.identifier.pagination1-12en_AU
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-75336-7en_AU
dc.identifier.urihttps://apo.ansto.gov.au/dspace/handle/10238/13638en_AU
dc.identifier.volume10en_AU
dc.language.isoenen_AU
dc.publisherSpringer Natureen_AU
dc.subjectWater chemistryen_AU
dc.subjectDrinking wateren_AU
dc.subjectWellsen_AU
dc.subjectKidneysen_AU
dc.subjectDisease vectorsen_AU
dc.subjectPathogensen_AU
dc.subjectSri Lankaen_AU
dc.titleThe water chemistry and microbiome of household wells in Medawachchiya, Sri Lanka, an area with high prevalence of chronic kidney disease of unknown origin (CKDu)en_AU
dc.typeJournal Articleen_AU
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