Toward Forensic Uses of Microbial Source Tracking

The science of microbial source tracking has allowed researchers and watershed managers to go beyond general indicators of fecal pollution in water such as coliforms and enterococci, and to move toward an understanding of specific contributors to water quality issues. The premise of microbial source...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Microbiology spectrum 2018-01, Vol.6 (1)
Main Authors: Teaf, Christopher M, Flores, David, Garber, Michele, Harwood, Valerie J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Environmental Microbiology
Feces - microbiology
Humans
Sewage
Sewage - microbiology
Water Microbiology
Water Pollutants
Water Pollutants - analysis
Water Pollution
Water Pollution - analysis
Water Quality
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The science of microbial source tracking has allowed researchers and watershed managers to go beyond general indicators of fecal pollution in water such as coliforms and enterococci, and to move toward an understanding of specific contributors to water quality issues. The premise of microbial source tracking is that characteristics of microorganisms that are strongly associated with particular host species can be used to trace fecal pollution to particular animal species (including humans) or groups, e.g., ruminants or birds. Microbial source tracking methods are practiced largely in the realm of research, and none are approved for regulatory uses on a federal level. Their application in the conventional sense of forensics, i.e., to investigate a crime, has been limited, but as some of these methods become standardized and recognized in a regulatory context, they will doubtless play a larger role in applications such as total maximum daily load assessment, investigations of sewage spills, and contamination from agricultural practices.
ISSN:2165-0497
2165-0497
DOI:10.1128/microbiolspec.EMF-0014-2017