scholarly journals Associations between fecal indicator bacteria prevalence and demographic data in private water supplies in Virginia

2014 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 824-834 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamara Smith ◽  
Leigh-Anne H. Krometis ◽  
Charles Hagedorn ◽  
Annie H. Lawrence ◽  
Brian Benham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Fecal Indicator Bacteria ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Total Coliform ◽  
Indicator Bacteria ◽  
Water Supply Systems ◽  
Optical Brightener ◽  
Fecal Indicator

Over 1.7 million Virginians rely on private water sources to provide household water. The heaviest reliance on these systems occurs in rural areas, which are often underserved with respect to available financial resources and access to environmental health education. This study aimed to identify potential associations between concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) (coliforms, Escherichia coli) in over 800 samples collected at the point-of-use from homes with private water supply systems and homeowner-provided demographic data (household income and education). Of the 828 samples tested, 349 (42%) of samples tested positive for total coliform and 55 (6.6%) tested positive for E. coli. Source tracking efforts targeting optical brightener concentrations via fluorometry and the presence of a human-specific Bacteroides marker via quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) suggest possible contamination from human septage in over 20 samples. Statistical methods implied that household income has an association with the proportion of samples positive for total coliform, though the relationship between education level and FIB is less clear. Further exploration of links between demographic data and private water quality will be helpful in building effective strategies to improve rural drinking water quality.

scholarly journals Comparison of the Multiple-Sample Means with Composite Sample Results for Fecal Indicator Bacteria by Quantitative PCR and Culture

2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (19) ◽  
pp. 7166-7169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reagan R. Converse ◽  
Larry J. Wymer ◽  
Alfred P. Dufour ◽  
Timothy J. Wade
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Quantitative Pcr ◽  
Fecal Indicator Bacteria ◽  
Water Quality Monitoring ◽  
Indicator Bacteria ◽  
Quality Monitoring ◽  
Composite Sample ◽  
Fecal Indicator ◽  
Composite Sampling ◽  
Multiple Sample

ABSTRACTFew studies have addressed the efficacy of composite sampling for measuring indicator bacteria by quantitative PCR (qPCR). We compared results from composited samples with multiple-sample means for culture- and qPCR-based water quality monitoring. Results from composited samples for both methods were similarly correlated to multiple-sample means and predicted criteria exceedances equally.

scholarly journals Systematic review of predictive models of microbial water quality at freshwater recreational beaches

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0256785
Author(s):  
Cole Heasley ◽  
J. Johanna Sanchez ◽  
Jordan Tustin ◽  
Ian Young
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Predictive Models ◽  
Fecal Indicator Bacteria ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Predictive Modelling ◽  
The United States ◽  
Risk Of Bias ◽  
Indicator Bacteria ◽  
Fecal Indicator

Monitoring of fecal indicator bacteria at recreational waters is an important public health measure to minimize water-borne disease, however traditional culture methods for quantifying bacteria can take 18–24 hours to obtain a result. To support real-time notifications of water quality, models using environmental variables have been created to predict indicator bacteria levels on the day of sampling. We conducted a systematic review of predictive models of fecal indicator bacteria at freshwater recreational sites in temperate climates to identify and describe the existing approaches, trends, and their performance to inform beach water management policies. We conducted a comprehensive search strategy, including five databases and grey literature, screened abstracts for relevance, and extracted data using structured forms. Data were descriptively summarized. A total of 53 relevant studies were identified. Most studies (n = 44, 83%) were conducted in the United States and evaluated water quality using E. coli as fecal indicator bacteria (n = 46, 87%). Studies were primarily conducted in lakes (n = 40, 75%) compared to rivers (n = 13, 25%). The most commonly reported predictive model-building method was multiple linear regression (n = 37, 70%). Frequently used predictors in best-fitting models included rainfall (n = 39, 74%), turbidity (n = 31, 58%), wave height (n = 24, 45%), and wind speed and direction (n = 25, 47%, and n = 23, 43%, respectively). Of the 19 (36%) studies that measured accuracy, predictive models averaged an 81.0% accuracy, and all but one were more accurate than traditional methods. Limitations identifed by risk-of-bias assessment included not validating models (n = 21, 40%), limited reporting of whether modelling assumptions were met (n = 40, 75%), and lack of reporting on handling of missing data (n = 37, 70%). Additional research is warranted on the utility and accuracy of more advanced predictive modelling methods, such as Bayesian networks and artificial neural networks, which were investigated in comparatively fewer studies and creating risk of bias tools for non-medical predictive modelling.

scholarly journals Springing for Safe Water: Drinking Water Quality and Source Selection in Central Appalachian Communities

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 888 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Patton ◽  
Leigh-Anne Krometis ◽  
Emily Sarver
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Tap Water ◽  
Fecal Indicator Bacteria ◽  
The United States ◽  
Spring Water ◽  
Indicator Bacteria ◽  
Drinking Water Source ◽  
Fecal Indicator ◽  
Source Selection

Issues surrounding water infrastructure, access, and quality are well documented in the Central Appalachian region of the United States. Even in cases where residents have in-home piped point-of-use (POU) water, some rely on alternative drinking water sources for daily needs—including water collection from roadside springs. This effort aims to better understand and document spring usage in this region by identifying the factors that influence drinking water source selection and comparing household and spring water quality to Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) health-based and aesthetic contaminant recommendations. Households were recruited from communities surrounding known springs in three states (Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia). First- and second-draw, in-home POU tap water samples were collected from participating households and compared to samples collected from local springs on the same day. Samples were analyzed for fecal indicator bacteria and inorganic ions. Study participants completed surveys to document perceptions of household drinking water and typical usage. The majority of survey participants (82.6%) did not trust their home tap water due to aesthetic issues. Water quality results suggested that fecal indicator bacteria were more common in spring water, while several metallic ions were recovered in higher concentrations from household samples. These observations highlight that health risks and perceptions may be different between sources.

An Assessment of Fecal Indicator Bacteria-Based Water Quality Standards

2008 ◽  
Vol 42 (13) ◽  
pp. 4676-4682 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew D. Gronewold ◽  
Mark E. Borsuk ◽  
Robert L. Wolpert ◽  
Kenneth H. Reckhow
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Fecal Indicator Bacteria ◽  
Quality Standards ◽  
Indicator Bacteria ◽  
Water Quality Standards ◽  
Fecal Indicator

Comparison of qPCR and amplicon sequencing based methods for fecal source tracking in a mixed land use estuarine watershed

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (12) ◽  
pp. 2108-2123
Author(s):  
Sarah Phelan ◽  
Disha Soni ◽  
William R. Morales Medina ◽  
N. L. Fahrenfeld
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Fecal Indicator Bacteria ◽  
Amplicon Sequencing ◽  
Indicator Bacteria ◽  
Source Tracking ◽  
Fecal Indicator ◽  
Mixed Land Use

Fecal indicator bacteria are commonly used to evaluate water quality and make decisions on designating and restricting use.

scholarly journals Fungi Occurrence Assessment in Drinking Water Distribution Systems and Its Relationship with Fecal Indicator Bacteria

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zahra Mirshekar ◽  
Ali Shahryari ◽  
Mohamad Gharekhan Alostani ◽  
Rahim Aali
Keyword(s):  
Water Samples ◽  
Distribution Systems ◽  
Water Distribution ◽  
Fecal Indicator Bacteria ◽  
Water Distribution Systems ◽  
Total Coliform ◽  
Indicator Bacteria ◽  
World Health ◽  
Fecal Indicator ◽  
Filtration Method

Introduction: As recommended by World Health Organization, consumption of the fungal contaminated water does not cause to serious infection, but may lead to healthy or aesthetic problems. The aim of this research was to assess the occurrence of fungi in water and its relationship with fecal indicator bacteria. Materials and Methods: 110 water samples were collected from different location of water distribution systems in Aliabad-e Katul City, North of Iran during April to November 2018. Enumeration of coliforms bacteria and fungi were performed by multiple tube fermentation and membrane filtration method, respectively; as described in Standard Methods. Results: Our results showed that fungi and total coliform were detected in 31 (28.4%) and 26 (23.9%) samples, respectively. Among samples of fungi positive, 22 (20.2%), 7 (6.4%), and 5 (4.6%) water samples were positive for Aspergillus sp., Rhizopus sp., and Penicillium sp., respectively. However, none faecal coliform and E. coli were observed in all examined samples, proposing the absence of faecal pollution in water. The mean and SD residual chlorine and pH were 0.55 ± 0.23 (mg/l) and 7.30 ± 0.30, respectively. The statistical analysis showed a remarkable difference between the prevalence of total coliforms and fungal species (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Presence of potential opportunistic pathogens fungi in potable water can be considered as a health risk, especially for immuno-suppressed individuals. Therefore, cleaning the processes such as biofilm removal and addition of the free chlorine concentration can be effective to decrease fungi contamination and total coliform from water distribution system.

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