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There has been a rising interest in the levels, diversity and potential impacts of yeasts in aquatic environments. Some of the species isolated from such niches are known pathogens or have pathogenic and antifungal resistance features. This deems it necessary to understand the characteristics and potential health implications of such environmental yeasts species. Studies on these subjects are limited. Most studies on aquatic yeasts have linked them to water pollution. However, the current gold standards to determine microbial pollution of water use bacteria as the main indicator organisms. Including yeasts in water quality standards may provide a different dimension on the quality of water when determining its fit-for-use properties. Pathogenic yeasts cause superficial infections or life-threatening infections, especially in immunocompromised people. Some of the yeast species isolated in recent studies were resistant to commonly used antifungal agents of clinical and veterinary relevance. With the high prevalence rate of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in South Africa, antifungal resistance is a public concern as it poses serious medical and economic challenges. Most available studies are concerned with clinical environments only. There is, thus, a need to review the literature that also focuses on aquatic environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water quality is an important determinant of diarrheal illnesses, especially affecting children in sub-Saharan Africa. Orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in sub-Saharan Africa are at increased risk of poor quality drinking water, and therefore of diarrheal illness. The present study assesses primary drinking water source and typical household water purification among OVC households involved in a multi-sectoral empowerment program in semi-rural Kenya. Findings show water purification practices, but not water source, significantly increase with more time in the program. Other factors associated with safer water include household income, orphan type, food consumption and security, school completion, psychological resilience, engaging in sexual intercourse with more than one partner in the past 12 months, and previous year's financial status. Incorporating water quality improvements in a community-based empowerment program such as the one described may be one method of improving water quality and decreasing diarrheal illnesses among OVCs in sub-Saharan Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conventional handpump is the most popular technology choice for improved potable water supplies in rural sub-Saharan Africa. To date, however, it has failed to deliver satisfactory levels of sustainability, largely due to inadequate maintenance capacity. An alternative option to standardised imported handpumps is the locally manufactured rope-pump, which is considerably cheaper and easier to maintain but has been rejected in the past due to fears of impaired water quality. This paper presents the key aspects of a study in northern Ghana which compared the performance of rope-pumps with that of conventional handpumps, to determine whether or not the rope-pump provides a viable alternative for community water supplies across the sub-continent. User interviews, sanitary surveys, water quality analyses and technical performance measurements were used to develop a comparative performance analysis for the two pump types. The findings of the study indicated that the rope-pump out-performed the conventional handpump on the majority of counts and that, contrary to widespread perceptions, there was no significant difference between pump types with respect to the impact on microbiological water quality. Consequently, the rope-pump provides a significant technological opportunity to improve water supply sustainability in Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]