ANALYSIS OF RISK FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH TRANSFERS OF CRYPTOSPORIDIUM OOCYSTS IN AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS OF HAITI BALTHAZARD-ACCOU, Ketty1, PATRICE, Agnamey2, CLERVIL, Elmyre1, and EMMANUEL, Evens1, (1) Universite Quisqueya, 218, Avenue Jean Paul II, Haut de Turgeau, Port-au- Prince, HT6114, Haiti, kettybal@gmail.com, (2) Universite Picardie Jules Verne, Faculté de médecine et CHU d’Amiens, Amiens, 80054, France Cryptosporidium are protozoan parasites that infect the intestines of many vertebrates, including humans. They cause cryptosporidiosis; one of the main traits of chronic diarrhea in immunocompromised patients infected with HIV and acute diarrhea in young children. In Haiti, the intestinal cryptosporidiosis is caused by at least three species: Cryptosporidium hominis, C. parvum and C. felis wich are responsible for 17% of acute diarrhea in children less than 2 years and 30% of chronic diarrhea in patients infected with HIV. Transmission of Cryptosporidium oocysts is often caused by the ingestion of contaminated food or water. In previous studies, Cryptosporidium oocysts have been detected in surface water and groundwater from three major cities of Haiti: Port-au-Prince, Cap-Haitian and Les Cayes. Significant concentrations from 4 to 1274 oocysts in 100 liters of filtered water were determined in Port-au-Prince; in the city of Cap-Haitian 741 to 6088 and concentrations ranging from 5 to 100 oocysts have been obtained in groundwater from Les Cayes. Results indicate that water resources in Haiti are widely contaminated with Cryptosporidium oocysts. Therefore, they may constitute potential sources of biological risk particularly for human health. Since Cryptosporidium oocysts are biological colloids, it is important to analyze the different risk factors associated with transfers of Cryptosporidium oocysts in aquatic ecosystems of Haiti.

1. 62nd Annual Meeting of the Southeastern
San Juan, Porto Rico, USA, March 20 – 21 2013
Ketty Balthazard-Accou*, Patrice Agnamey, Elmyre Clervil, Evens Emmanuel
Laboratoire de Qualité de l’Eau et de l’Environnement
Université Quisqueya
218, Avenue Jean Paul II, Haut de Tugeau, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Email: kettybal@gmail.com

2. Cryptosporidium in Haiti
Cryptosporidiosis is
responsible for 17.5% of
acute diarrhea in children
less than 2 years-old
30% of chronic
diarrhoeas in patientsdiarrhoeas in patients
infected by HIV
In Port-au-Prince,
Cryptosporidium oocysts
were detected in surface
water and in public water
supplies

3. Global view on sanitation in Haiti
Feco-oral

4. Port-au-Prince groundwater are
exposed to latrine effluents, septic
tanks and urban wastewater
Since limestone is the main
geological factor of Haiti, and all
the cities have the same urban
characteristics: groundwater of
Research considerations
characteristics: groundwater of
Les Cayes, and Cap-Haitian are
also contaminated by
Cryptosporidium

5. Analyze the different risk factors associated
with transfers of Cryptosporidium oocysts
in groundwater from three important cities
of Haiti: Port-au-Prince, Cap-Haitian and
Purpose of this work
of Haiti: Port-au-Prince, Cap-Haitian and
les Cayes

6. Framework of health risk assessment (NRC, 1983)

7. Risks factors
A risk factor is an element belonging to an individual
or originating from an environment liable to cause
an illness, trauma or another negative impact on
the development of the human organism
(Fougeyrollas et al, 1998).(Fougeyrollas et al, 1998).

8. Conceptual model
TransferTarget
Management of urban sanitation services
(wastewater, human excreta and animal)
Soil
Groundwater
TargetEffects
C.h. : Human consumers (cryptosporidiosis: acute diarrhea and
chronic abdominal pain, fever and myalgia; …)
C.h.
Groundwater
Tap water

9. Studies sites
Materials and methods

10. Les Cayes,South County’s chief city
Map of the hydrological south west region of Haiti

11. Port-au-Prince, the national capital of the Republic of Haiti
Map of the hydrological center south region of Haiti

12. Map of Cap-Haïtian water cathment North County’s chief city

13. Sampling points
The water samples were collected from the 21
sites in the conditions defined by standard
AFNOR-NFT 90-455 of July 2001.
Water samples were taken in December 2009,
October 2010 and January 2011.October 2010 and January 2011.
The sampling points were chosen according to
the water supply points of the population
(reservoir, drilling, spring, surface and
groundwater).

14. Filtration of the samples
In the field
Water filtration using
Envirochek®
cartridgescartridges
At the laboratory
immunomagnetic
separation (IMS)
immunofluorescence
essay (FA).

15. Table 1: Results of Cryptosporidium oocysts detection

16. Conclusion and Perspectives
• The contamination of untreated public water supplies
used for human consumption in the cities of Port-au-
Prince, Cap-Haitian and Les Cayes by
Cryptosporidium is a significant environmental and
public health concerns.
• Since groundwater is contaminated by• Since groundwater is contaminated by
Cryptosporidium, it seems interesting to study the
hydrodynamic and transfer mechanisms governing
the presence of these protozoan in saturated zone.
• In order to develop appropriate treatments, it should
be necessary to study the efficiency of some
materials (activated carbon, zeolite, and quartz) in
oocysts adsorption.

17. THANK YOU
FOR YOUR ATTENTIONFOR YOUR ATTENTION