scholarly journals Microbial Indicators and Their Use for Monitoring Drinking Water Quality—A Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 2249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaotong Wen ◽  
Feiyu Chen ◽  
Yixiang Lin ◽  
Hui Zhu ◽  
Fang Yuan ◽  
...  

An increase in the incidence of water-borne human diseases, such as diarrhea and emesis, has occurred due to drinking polluted water. These water-borne diseases can lead to death, if correct treatment is not provided. Assuring that drinking water quality is safe has been a crucial challenge for public health. Water contamination with pathogenic microorganisms represents a seriously increased threat to human health. Currently, different microorganisms are being used as the primary indicator to assess water quality total coliform and Escherichia coli (E. coli) being the most common. However, increasing the occurrence of water-borne illness from sources deemed safe by the microbial standard criteria has raised the question—are these microbial indicators reliable and sensitive enough to ensure water quality? Currently, other microorganisms including bacteria, enteric virus, and protozoa are being tested and used in different countries as alternative indicators to monitor water quality. It is necessary to study the diverse water quality indicator systems used throughout the world and their efficacy with the present water quality. Although water quality standards suggest adding pathogenic microorganisms such as enteric virus as an indicator, China only uses pathogenic E. coli, protozoa. Pin-pointing the shortage of the current water quality indicator system in China is crucial in order to propose changes in future water quality indicator systems.

1993 ◽  
Vol 27 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 287-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Lerman ◽  
O. Lev ◽  
A. Adin ◽  
E. Katzenelson

The Israel Ministry of Health is now revising its regulations for the assurance of safe water quality in public swimming pools. Since it is not possible to monitor each of the pathogenic microorganisms, it is often recommended to monitor indicator bacteria which provide indirect information on the water quality in the swimming pool. Three indicator microorganisms are often recommended: coliform counts (total coliforms, fecal coliforms or E. Coli), staphylococcus aureus and pseudomonas aeruginosa. A four year survey of the water quality of swimming pools in the Jerusalem District was conducted in order to determine whether the monitoring of all three indicators is necessary to assure safe water quality or is it sufficient to monitor only a single microorganism. A statistical analysis, conducted by using several different statistical techniques, reveals that the populations of the three indicator organisms are significantly interdependent but the correlations between each pair of these indicators are not sufficient to base a prediction of any of the organisms based on the measurements of the others. Therefore, it is concluded that monitoring of all three indicators should be recommended in order to provide an adequate picture of the water quality in swimming pools.


2021 ◽  
Vol 193 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Desmond Tichaona Mugadza ◽  
Sibusisiwe Isabel Nduku ◽  
Edlyn Gweme ◽  
Sherpherd Manhokwe ◽  
Patience Marume ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Masaaki Kitajima ◽  
Hannah P. Sassi ◽  
Jason R. Torrey

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 517-531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ntombie Thandazile Mhlongo ◽  
Memory Tekere ◽  
Timothy Sibanda

Abstract Insufficient potable water resources and poorly treated drinking water quality are the world's number one cause for preventable morbidity and mortality from water-related pathogenic microorganisms. Pathogenic microorganisms, including mycotoxigenic fungi, have been identified in treated drinking water. This paper presents a review of mycotoxigenic fungi as a health risk to the public as these fungi are responsible for allergies, cancers and opportunistic infections mainly to immunocompromised patients. The exacerbating factors contributing to fungal presence in water distribution systems, factors that lead to fungi being resistant to water treatment and treated drinking water quality legislations are also discussed. This paper provides a review on the prevalence of mycotoxigenic fungi and their implications to public health in treated drinking water, and the need for inclusion in treated drinking water quality regulations.


2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 827-837 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Li ◽  
Husam Ali Abdulmohsin ◽  
Samer Sami Hasan ◽  
Li Kaiming ◽  
Belal Al-Khateeb ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 99 (12) ◽  
pp. 1353-1359
Author(s):  
Angelika V. Zagainova ◽  
Galina M. Trukhina ◽  
Yury A. Rakhmanin ◽  
Tamara Z. Artemova ◽  
Marina A. Sukhina

Introduction. The increasing bacterial contamination of water bodies requires an increase in water quality control’s reliability to ensure epidemic safety against waterborne infections. Therefore, researchers in both Russia and Europe came to the conclusion that it is necessary to search for indicator microorganisms that can more accurately suggest the presence of pathogens. microorganisms in water than traditional indicators. The aim of the study was to justify the introduction of indicator indices of fecal contamination “generalized coliform bacteria” and Escherichia coli to assess the safety of drinking water Material and methods. The article provides an analysis of domestic and international regulatory documents and literary materials regulating the quality of drinking water in terms of sanitary and microbiological indicators and assessment criteria. The results of many years of experimental and field research carried out by research organizations and practical organizations of the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare are presented. Results. On the territory of Russia, “general coliform bacteria,” is one of the indicator indices chosen according to the fermentation of lactose, determine the safety of drinking water. The water does not take into account pathogenic bacteria (Salmonella, Shigella) and a number of lactose-negative opportunistic bacteria, causative agents of intestinal infections. The study of microorganisms isolated from the feces of patients confirms the frequency of occurrence of lactose-negative microorganisms to varying from 20 to 100% of strains. With an annual trend towards a decrease in the percentage of non-standard drinking water samples in terms of microbiological indices, general intestinal infections (GII) of unknown etiology increase, i.e. risk of GII. If the quality of drinking water does not correspond to thermotolerant coliform bacteria (TCB), 95% of samples contain E. coli. Therefore, the determination of E. coli more reliably indicates the intake of fresh fecal contamination and provides efficiency in taking measures to eliminate an unfavorable situation than TCB. Conclusion. Reasons are given for the introduction of more reliable microbiological indicators of water safety control, such as - “generalized coliform bacteria” with the preservation of the abbreviation GCB, combining both lactose-positive and lactose-negative bacteria, determined by the sign of glucose fermentation, negative oxidase test and negative stain according to Gram and E. coli as an indicator of recent faecal contamination, which will allow the assessment of water quality for a wide range of bacteria of the order Enterobacterials, corresponding to the modern taxonomy of Enterobacteriaceae NCBI, will ensure harmonization with international requirements and the safety of drinking water for the population.


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