Improvement of drinking water quality by using plant biomass through household biosand filter - A decentralized approach

The removal of microbial and physico-chemical contaminants was investigated using an innovative biosand filter (BSF) containing three combinations of coniferous pinus bark biomass (CPBB), i.e. 1 cm (treatment 2), 2.5 cm (treatment 3) and 5 cm (treatment 4). The efficiency of BSF was assessed in batch mode experiments and the comparative reductions of contaminants were monitored over the control treatment (1) at temperature range of 1-15 °C for 90 days. Standard methods were used to analyze 9 operating, physico-chemicals and biological water quality parameters of pre-and post-water filtration samples after 15 days interval. The results showed mean 93 ± 2% and 95 ± 3% reductions of Eischerichia coli and total coliforms, respectively, for BSF containing the highest depth of CPBB (5 cm), whereby 100% removal was observed during the treatment time T30 to T45 days. The general affinity sequence for E. coli, total coliforms and turbidity removal in the four treatments was: BSF with 5 cm CPBB > BSF with 2.5 cm CPBB > BSF with 1 cm CPBB > Control. It was concluded that modified BSF with additional adsorbent of locally available CPBB is a very good decentralized treatment option for drinking water.     

Use of non-invasive techniques to determine population size of the marine otter in two regions of Peru

The marine otter (Lontra felina) can be found on rocky shores from the northern coast of Peru (9°S) to the extreme south of Argentina (56°S). This species is currently classified as endangered but there is little information on population size because marine otters are very difficult to observe and count. Between June and August 2012 we collected 240 samples of marine otter feces from seven localities in Peru. All locations were visited four times. One-hundred and thirty-three samples (55%) were successfully amplified at five to seven microsatellite loci and a sex-linked marker. We identified a minimum of 80 individuals (41 males and 39 females) across all locations for a density estimate of 4.4 otters per km, a value about 2X higher than estimates based on previous visual counts. Estimates using the program CAPWIRE averaged 12.6 otters/km, a value six times higher than estimates based on previous visual counts, although confidence limits were large due to the low number of recaptures. There was a strong positive relationship between the number of fresh scats and the number of unique genotypes, suggesting scat counts might be used to estimate the minimum number of otters at a site. Non-invasive genotyping of marine otter feces and scat counts will be valuable tools for estimating population sizes and monitoring movements of this secretive species.     

Microbiological quality assessment of Moroccan camel's milk and identification of predominating lactic acid bacteria

Samples of camel's milk collected from different zones of Morocco were analysed to evaluate their microbiological quality and to identify predominating lactic acid bacteria (LAB). The following average colony-forming units (c.f.u.s) of aerobic total count, enterococci, faecal and total coliforms, LAB, yeasts,Staphylococcus aureus and spores of sulphite-reducing clostridia were recorded: 6.2 × 10⁷, 2.9 × 10⁴, 1.6 × 10⁴, 7.0 × 10⁶, 1.0 × 10⁷, 3.8 × 10⁴, 1.3 × 10⁵ and 6.0 c.f.u./ml, respectively. The enumeration results were markedly variable and coliforms were not detected in 1 ml of some samples. Bacteriological identification revealed a definite dominance of enterococci with Enterococcus faecalis as the main representative species. Besides Enterococcus, other genera including Pediococcus (28.2%), Streptococcus (4%), Lactococcus (8%) and Leuconostoc(1%) were isolated on de Man, Rogosa and Sharp (MRS) agar.