Specificity of a defined substrate method used to monitor balneability of tropical coastal waters impacted by polluted stormwater

Sousa, Oscarina Viana de; Evangelista-Barreto, Norma Suely; Catter, Karla Maria; Fonteles-Filho, Antonio Adauto; Macrae, Andrew; Vieira, Regine Helena Silva dos Fernandes

doi:10.2166/wh.2010.132

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 24 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Moreover, indicators may be severely underrepresented when injured by disinfectants used in water treatment processes; these are known as viable but nonculturable cells (VBNC) since they have lost the ability to form colonies (Juhna et al, 2007;Keer and Birch, 2003;Rockabrand et al, 1999). Low specificity is also a problem, as interference from other microorganisms can occur, resulting in false-positive outcomes (Bej et al, 1991b;Clark et al, 2011;Fricker et al, 2008a;Omar et al, 2010;Pisciotta et al, 2002;Sousa et al, 2010;Tryland and Fiksdal, 1998). For example, the enzyme β-D-glucuronidase is found in several microorganisms, including some Salmonella and Shigella strains, and some Yersinia, Edwardia, Citrobacter and Hafnia strains.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the track for an efficient detection of Escherichia coli in water: A review on PCR-based methods

Silva

Domingues

2015

Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Ensuring water safety is an ongoing challenge to public health providers. Assessing the presence of fecal contamination indicators in water is essential to protect public health from diseases caused by waterborne pathogens. For this purpose, the bacteria Escherichia coli has been used as the most reliable indicator of fecal contamination in water. The methods currently in use for monitoring the microbiological safety of water are based on culturing the microorganisms. However, these methods are not the desirable solution to prevent outbreaks as they provide the results with a considerable delay, lacking on specificity and sensitivity. Moreover, viable but non-culturable microorganisms, which may be present as a result of environmental stress or water treatment processes, are not detected by culture-based methods and, thus, may result in false-negative assessments of E. coli in water samples. These limitations may place public health at significant risk, leading to substantial monetary losses in health care and, additionally, in costs related with a reduced productivity in the area affected by the outbreak, and in costs supported by the water quality control departments involved. Molecular methods, particularly polymerase chain reaction-based methods, have been studied as an alternative technology to overcome the current limitations, as they offer the possibility to reduce the assay time, to improve the detection sensitivity and specificity, and to identify multiple targets and pathogens, including new or emerging strains. The variety of techniques and applications available for PCR-based methods has increased considerably and the costs involved have been substantially reduced, which together have contributed to the potential standardization of these techniques. However, they still require further refinement in order to be standardized and applied to the variety of environmental waters and their specific characteristics. The PCR-based methods under development for monitoring the presence of E. coli in water are here discussed. Special emphasis is given to methodologies that avoid pre-enrichment during the water sample preparation process so that the assay time is reduced and the required legislated sensitivity is achieved. The advantages and limitations of these methods are also reviewed, contributing to a more comprehensive overview toward a more conscious research in identifying E. coli in water.

show abstract