Rapid Detection Methods for Emerging Pathogens in Drinking Water

The spectrum of water-borne diseases is expanding and majority of diseases once believed to be conquered are on the rise. A significant number of zoonotic emerging and re-emerging waterborne pathogens like Yersinia enterocolitica, Aeromonas hydrophila and Listeria monocytogenes have been recognized now. Studies have shown that there is no correlation between, occurrence of coliforms, indicator organisms and emerging zoonotic pathogens like Y.enterocolitica, and A.hydrophila in same water sample. So there is need for a re-evalution, replacement of the traditional indicators for better monitoring, assessment and risk management of drinking water. The conventional methods cannot predict the presence of these potentially enteropathogenic microorganisms in drinking water. In response to these limitations a Bacteriological water testing kit (BWTK) and a Multiplex PCR for simultaneous detection of emerging pathogens has been developed for regularly monitoring of drinking water quality for appraisal to public health and to take corrective measures regarding health risk when desired.