Surface water sampling is an essential part of the study of waterborne pathogens. However, it’s a complex and delicate procedure that can give misleading results. A team of researchers from the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS) in Italy are undertaking an evaluation of sampling methods, using the Arrone River as their test site.
The Arrone River flows from Lake Bracciano (which is a drinking water reservoir) to the Tyrrhenian Sea. It’s 35km long, with a catchment area of 125km2. The surrounding land is mainly agricultural, and this, combined with two wastewater treatment plants, means that the presence of waterborne pathogens can be high.
The study is focused on implementing methods of water sampling. Microbiological and molecular methods are used to detect pathogens that affect humans and animals, and to determine antibiotic-resistant strains.
The team is evaluating the use of artificial plastic substrate samplers. This method is a proven effective way of monitoring water quality where other sampling methods have been unsuccessful.
This research takes place along the whole length of the river, from source to sea. It targets the main river and doesn’t include all the tributaries due to their small size (some are less than half a kilometre long).
The river is at risk from agricultural and wastewater pollution. It’s also suffering from water scarcity as a result of climate change, which affects the concentration of pathogens. Accurate surface water sampling is essential if we’re to establish what’s in the river, and what are the potential risks to human and animal health.
While this study may use artificial plastic substrate to collect data, it is important to note that not all plastics are welcome in the river. Plastic pollution poses a real problem to aquatic ecosystems because they may harbour pathogens, including multi-drug-resistant strains.
Read more about plastic pollution and antibiotic-resistant pathogens in this paper:
Detection of Morganella morganii bound to a plastic substrate in surface water – ScienceDirect