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

Xiaotong Wen, Feiyu Chen, Yixiang Lin, Hui Zhu, Fang Yuan, Duyi Kuang, Zhihui Jia and Zhaokang Yuan
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Xiaotong Wen: School of Public Health, Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Preventive Medicine, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, China
Feiyu Chen: Center for disease control and prevention in Dongxiang district, Fuzhou 331800, China
Yixiang Lin: School of Public Health, Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Preventive Medicine, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, China
Hui Zhu: Jiangxi Province Center for disease control and prevention, Nanchang 330006, China
Fang Yuan: Office of Public Health Studies, University of Hawaii at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
Duyi Kuang: Office of Public Health Studies, University of Hawaii at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
Zhihui Jia: School of Public Health, Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Preventive Medicine, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, China
Zhaokang Yuan: School of Public Health, Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Preventive Medicine, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, China

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 6, 1-14

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: microbial indicators; monitoring; water quality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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