Microbial Monitoring of Surface Water in South Africa: An Overview

Abstract

Infrastructural problems force South African households to supplement their drinking water consumption from water resources of inadequate microbial quality. Microbial water quality monitoring is currently based on the Colilert®18 system which leads to rapidly available results. Using Escherichia coli as the indicator microorganism limits the influence of environmental sources on the reported results. The current system allows for understanding of long-term trends of microbial surface water quality and the related public health risks. However, rates of false positive for the Colilert®18-derived concentrations have been reported to range from 7.4% to 36.4%. At the same time, rates of false negative results vary from 3.5% to 12.5%; and the Colilert medium has been reported to provide for cultivation of only 56.8% of relevant strains. Identification of unknown sources of faecal contamination is not currently feasible. Based on literature review, calibration of the antibiotic-resistance spectra of Escherichia coli or the bifidobacterial tracking ratio should be investigated locally for potential implementation into the existing monitoring system. The current system could be too costly to implement in certain areas of South Africa where the modified H2S strip test might be used as a surrogate for the Colilert®18.

Abundance of Pathogenic Escherichia coli Virulence-Associated Genes in Well and Borehole Water Used for Domestic Purposes in a Peri-Urban Community of South Africa

“…As such, this natural resource is facing constant decrease in quantity and deterioration in quality as a result of both natural and anthropogenic activities, a challenge that is anticipated to get even worse in the 21st century and beyond [16]. Although the limited access to clean portable water has forced many households in South Africa (and many African countries as a whole) to consider alternative sources such as rivers and streams, these sources are usually of poor microbial quality [17,18,19,20]. As such, many other communities have resorted to boreholes and wells to meet their daily water needs.…”

Civic Engagement and Environmental Sustainability in Teaching and Learning at Higher Education Institution in South Africa

“…They facilitate interactions between patients and future pharmacists as this is at the heart of the practice of pharmacy and plays and important role in the context of public health in South Africa. These interactions prime the pharmacy students to awareness about public health challenges such as the drinking water quality and diarrhoeal diseases (Luyt et al, 2012). Civic engagement can be strengthened among the Bachelor of Pharmacy students through teaching and learning activities focused on the issues of drinking water quality.…”

Assessment of Microbial Quality of Surface Water Sources of Luvuvhu River Catchment, South Africa

“…The objective of water management is to ensure the microbial safety of water user for domestic, industrial and agricultural purposes. Water Authorities are, therefore, doing their best to protect water sources and ensure that the water reaching the community is safe or free from any organisms or substances which are harmful to humans [1]. The common source of surface water pollution, however, is human and animals wastes.…”

“…The water borne pathogens caused by these sources is of concern because there are many rural communities in South Africa that utilize unprotected sources for drinking water [2][3]. Currently, water industries are only focused on the removal of waterborne pathogens in water treatment than preventing these pathogens from entering the water environment [1].…”