Potentially dangerous "super bacteria" have been detected in several popular tourist spots and venues for the upcoming 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, raising concerns that the city's waterways are unsafe.
Two separate, unpublished studies found drug-resistant microbes off beaches in Rio that will host swimming events, as well as in a lagoon where canoe and rowing competition will take place.
The findings contribute to the list of areas known to be affected by bacteria that are typically found in hospitals. Experts are also worried about the immediate risks to people's health.
Findings Of The First Report
A 2014 study had revealed the presence of super bacteria off one of the beaches in Guanabara Bay, the location for wind-surfing and sailing events during the Olympics.
Now, the first of the two reports described the presence of microbes at five of the city's most prominent beaches, including Copacabana, Leblon, Flamengo, Botafogo and Ipanema.
This study, which went through internal reviews at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, analyzed water samples gathered between September 2013 and September 2014.
Researchers found the following:
1. The highest presence of super bacteria was detected at Botafogo beach.
2. In Flamengo beach, where viewers will watch sailors compete, the super bacteria were detected in 90 percent of the water samples.
3. In Copacabana, the location for triathlon and open-water swimming, 10 percent of the samples contained the super bacteria.
4. The water samples from beaches in Ipanema and Leblon, which are most popular among tourists, tested positive for microbes 50 and 60 percent of the time, respectively.
Findings Of The Second Report
The second report conducted by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation found genes of super bacteria in a river that flows into Guanabara Bay as well as in a lagoon in Rio.
This study, which has been peer-reviewed, investigated samples taken in 2013. Scientists discovered that the lagoon is a possible breeding spot for super bacteria.
Why Was There A Contamination?
According to experts, waste from countless hospitals and thousands of households pour into rivers, storm drains and streams that crisscross Rio, enabling the super bacteria to move outside hospitals.
Professor Renata Picao, lead author of the first report, says the contamination of beaches in Rio is the result of lack of basic sanitation in the metropolitan area.
"These bacteria should not be present in these waters," says Picao. "They should not be present in the sea."
Picao and other experts say there have been no significant improvements in sewage infrastructure to address and improve the situation.
In 2009, cleaning the city's waterway was expected to be one of the legacies of the Olympic Games. A high-profile promise in the official bid document ensured Rio's win of the right to host the event.
However, according to Reuters, the goal has become a failure as athletes lament the stench of sewage in the area.
Meanwhile, the contamination has driven federal prosecutors and police to inspect whether the city's water utility Cedae has violated environmental regulations by lying how much sewage it treats.
Cedae denied the allegations, saying that the contamination must be caused by illegal dumping into storm drains.
Health Risks
The super bacteria detected in the studies can potentially cause meningitis, as well as hard-to-treat pulmonary gastrointestinal urinary tract and bloodstream infections.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the super bacteria may even contribute to death in half of infected patients.
Still, Valerie Harwood, who is an expert at antibiotic-resistant bacteria and was not involved in the study, says the genes of super bacteria discovered in the Rio lagoon were probably not dangerous if taken in by themselves.
The genes are like candy that need to be eaten up by other organisms in order to become harmful. If a person ingests the infected organism, it will make its way through the gastrointestinal tract and then make the person ill.
Photo : Rasvan Orendovici | Flickr
