A new study from researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara, has uncovered the complex ecology of pit latrines. Pit latrines are traditional sanitation systems that are commonly found in many developing countries, and they are a major source of human waste contamination of the environment. The study, published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, shows that the composition of the microbial communities in pit latrines is highly variable and can be influenced by factors such as the type of pit latrine, the location of the pit latrine, and the age of the pit latrine. These findings have important implications for public health, as the microbial communities in pit latrines can directly affect the health of nearby communities, and could even be used to inform the design of better sanitation systems.

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source: Phys.org