Drinking water contamination events require rapid decisions to protect public health and restore confidence in water systems. Traditional microbiological testing approaches often rely on culture-based methods that require extended incubation periods and provide limited information about contamination sources. Rapid molecular methods such as qPCR and digital PCR provide powerful detection capabilities; however, their effectiveness can be limited when microbial targets are present at low concentrations. Concentrating larger sample volumes before analysis can improve analytical sensitivity while enabling broader microbial characterization.
Conventional methods for assessing water quality after waterline disruptions involve using time-consuming fecal indicator culture-based techniques that fail to detect the sources of contamination. Thus, rapid emergency responses are critically needed to safeguard public health and swiftly resume community functioning.
Researchers from the College of Public Health, at Ohio State University, performed a pilot study comparing the current microbial quality method that relies on a 24-hour culture time for E. Coli detection, against a new method using the CP Select™ paired with rapid molecular methods (ddPCR) for detection of multiple target organisms. The study demonstrated that CP Select™ concentration combined with rapid molecular analysis enabled detection of multiple microbial indicators and reduced time to actionable results compared with conventional culture-based approaches
Overall, the authors highlight the Concentrating Pipette + ddPCR approach overcomes many limitations of the standard culture methods and enables greater sensitivity, specificity, and rapid results which enable faster response to drinking water contamination events.
Read the Paper
Advanced preparedness for drinking water emergency: Ensuring safe microbial quality with rapid microbial source tracking and E. coli methods. Lancaster, et al.
in Environmental Advances Volume 13, October 2023, 100426
