Microbial Source Tracking: Current Methodology and Future Directions

Maintenance of the microbiological quality and safety of water systems used for drinking, for recreating, and in the harvesting of seafood is imperative, as contamination of these systems can exact high risks to human health as well as result in significant economic losses due to closures of beaches and shellfish harvesting areas. Waters contaminated with human feces are generally regarded as a greater risk to human health, as they are more likely to contain human-specific enteric pathogens, including Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi, Shi-gella spp., hepatitis A virus, and Norwalk-group viruses. Ani-mals can also serve as reservoirs for a variety of enteric patho-gens (e.g., various serotypes of Salmonella,…