The Government of Aragon, through the Ematsa Company Laboratory, collected water at three different points in the first section of the Queles River in the province of Soria in order to segment the channel and conduct a deeper search for the source. This resulted in an outbreak of gastroenteritis in Tarazona.
The outbreak was declared in the city of Turiazon over the weekend of September 9-10 and has ended spread to other placesreports the Aragonese government.
This outbreak was caused by a protozoa Cryptosporidiumoccurs in aquatic environments in the form of egg cysts.
The three samples were collected a few meters from the source of the Quails River, another was collected on the channel passing through the center of Vozmediano (located about 100 or 200 meters downstream), and the third sample was Between the two points, all were collected in the province. From Soria.
Results will be announced as soon as they are announced.
According to the technical protocol, each sample consisted of one hundred liters of water. The diameter of this protozoan oocyst varies between three and six microns, and collecting large amounts of water increases the probability of detecting it.
he The analytical method is based on the EPA1623 method. It consists of a first stage of filtration and centrifugation to concentrate the sample.
Subsequently, a specific immunomagnetic separation process is performed to separate the oocysts from the remaining particles in the sample. Finally, the oocysts were immunofluorescently stained and captured by fluorescence microscopy.
The sampling technicians involved in the intervention belong to the EMATSA company and are always accompanied by agents of the National Guard SEPRONA and technicians of the Ebro Hydrological Federation.
The collection mission lasted just over two hours, and the EMATSA laboratory had already received the materials.
The laboratory is one of four accredited by the Spanish National Accreditation Entity (ENAC) to detect Cryptosporidium in water.
Find the source of pollution as soon as possible
The collection of water at these three points is the first action planned after this Monday’s meeting in Tarazona to Find the source of pollution as soon as possible The pathogen is present in the Quailes River and its presence was confirmed last Thursday.
Since then, the Aragonese Government Nature Conservation Officers, members of the National Guard SEPRONA and the CHE Water Police have inspected the river and its surrounding areas, No activities or facts that could lead to contamination with this pathogen have been identified to date.
The Tarazona gastroenteritis outbreak has so far recorded 468 cases. Clinically, the patient’s condition is mild, with diarrhea and, in special cases, vomiting and fever.
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