title: Amoeba-related health risk in drinking water systems: could monitoring of amoebae be a complementary approach to current quality control strategies?
abstract: Culture-based methods for fecal indicator microorganisms are the standard protocol to assess potential health risk from drinking water systems. However, these traditional fecal indicators are inappropriate surrogates for disinfection-resistant fecal pathogens and the indigenous pathogens that grow in drinking water systems. There is now a range of molecular-based methods, such as quantitative PCR, which allow detection of a variety of pathogens and alternative indicators. Hence, in addition to targeting total Escherichia coli (i.e., dead and alive) for the detection of fecal pollution, various amoebae may be suitable to indicate the potential presence of pathogenic amoeba-resisting microorganisms, such as Legionellae. Therefore, monitoring amoeba levels by quantitative PCR could be a useful tool for directly and indirectly evaluating health risk and could also be a complementary approach to current microbial quality control strategies for drinking water systems.
authors.affiliation: Laboratori de Microbiologia Sanitaria i Mediambiental & Aquasost - UNESCO Chair in Sustainability, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Edifici Gaia, Pg. Ernest Lluch/Rambla Sant Nebridi, Terrassa - 08222, Barcelona, Spain. codony@oo.upc.edu
authors.forename: Francesc
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Codony
authors.forename: Leonardo Martín
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Pérez
authors.forename: Bárbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Adrados
authors.forename: Gemma
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Agustí
authors.forename: Mariana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fittipaldi
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Morató
mesh_terms: D000656:Amoeba / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000382:microbiology*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D060766:Drinking Water / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000469:parasitology*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology; D006801:Humans; D014871:Water Microbiology; D014876:Water Pollution / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D060766:Drinking Water