Culturable mycobiota of drinking water in Göteborg (Sweden) in comparison to Ljubljana (Slovenia) with implications on human health

Abstract

The European Union currently has no specific regulations on fungi in water. The only country where fungi are listed as the parameter is Sweden, with the maximal number of 100 CFU per 100 mL. The present study thus compared culturable mycobiota from Swedish drinking water with Slovenian, which has no specific requirements for fungi. Fungi were isolated with up to 38 CFU/L from 75% of Swedish samples. The most common were the genera Varicosporellopsis (27.3%), Paracremonium (14.5%), and black yeasts Cadophora, Cyphellophora, and Exophiala (18.2%). Using the same sampling and isolation methods, 90% of tap water samples in Slovenia were positive for fungi, with Aspergillus spp. (46%), Aureobasidium melanogenum (36%), and Exophiala spp. (24%) being the most common. The observed differences between countries are likely the consequence of geographical location, the use of different raw water sources, and water treatment methods. However, the core species and emerging fungi Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida parapsilosis sensu stricto, Exophiala phaeomuriformis, Bisifusarium dimerum, and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa were isolated in both studies. These findings point out the relevance of tracking the presence of emerging fungi with known effects on health in drinking water and encourage further studies on their transmission from raw water sources to the end-users. HIGHLIGHTS Fungal biota significantly differs between different geographical locations.; Groundwater more likely harbours Aureobasidium and Exophiala.; Surface water is associated with fungi colonising soil and plant material.; A. fumigatus, C. parapsilosis, E. phaeomuriformis, B. dimerum, and R. mucilaginosa present core-genera of drinking water.; Drinking water carries fungal species that are listed by WHO as emerging pathogens.;

Keywords

• core-species
• drinking water
• europe
• health effect
• mycobiota
• regulation