Browsing by Author "Solo-Gabriele, Helena M."
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- Beach sand and the potential for infectious disease transmission: observations and recommendationsPublication . Solo-Gabriele, Helena M.; Harwood, Valerie J.; Kay, David; Fujioka, Roger S.; Sadowsky, Michael J.; Whitman, Richard L.; Wither, Andrew; Caniça, Manuela; Carvalho da Fonseca, Rita; Duarte, Aida; Edge, Thomas A.; Gargaté, Maria J.; Gunde-Cimerman, Nina; Hagen, Ferry; McLellan, Sandra L.; Nogueira da Silva, Alexandra; Novak Babič, Monika; Prada, Susana; Rodrigues, Raquel; Romão, Daniela; Sabino, Raquel; Samson, Robert A.; Segal, Esther; Staley, Christopher; Taylor, Huw D.; Veríssimo, Cristina; Viegas, Carla; Barroso, Helena; Brandão, JoãoRecent studies suggest that sand can serve as a vehicle for exposure of humans to pathogens at beach sites, resulting in increased health risks. Sampling for microorganisms in sand should therefore be considered for inclusion in regulatory programmes aimed at protecting recreational beach users from infectious disease. Here, we review the literature on pathogen levels in beach sand, and their potential for affecting human health. In an effort to provide specific recommendations for sand sampling programmes, we outline published guidelines for beach monitoring programs, which are currently focused exclusively on measuring microbial levels in water. We also provide background on spatial distribution and temporal characteristics of microbes in sand, as these factors influence sampling programs. First steps toward establishing a sand sampling program include identifying appropriate beach sites and use of initial sanitary assessments to refine site selection. A tiered approach is recommended for monitoring. This approach would include the analysis of samples from many sites for faecal indicator organisms and other conventional analytes, while testing for specific pathogens and unconventional indicators is reserved for high-risk sites. Given the diversity of microbes found in sand, studies are urgently needed to identify the most significant aetiological agent of disease and to relate microbial measurements in sand to human health risk.
- Impacts of a changing earth on microbial dynamics and human health risks in the continuum between beach water and sandPublication . Weiskerger, Chelsea J.; Brandão, João; Ahmed, Warish; Aslan, Asli; Avolio, Lindsay; Badgley, Brian D.; Boehm, Alexandria B.; Edge, Thomas A.; Fleisher, Jay M.; Heaney, Christopher D.; Jordao, Luisa; Kinzelman, Julie L.; Klaus, James S.; Kleinheinz, Gregory T.; Meriläinen, Päivi; Nshimyimana, Jean Pierre; Phanikumar, Mantha S.; Piggot, Alan M.; Pitkänen, Tarja; Robinson, Clare; Sadowsky, Michael J.; Staley, Christopher; Staley, Zachery R.; Symonds, Erin M.; Vogel, Laura J.; Yamahara, Kevan M.; Whitman, Richard L.; Solo-Gabriele, Helena M.; Harwood, Valerie J.Although infectious disease risk from recreational exposure to waterborne pathogens has been an active area of research for decades, beach sand is a relatively unexplored habitat for the persistence of pathogens and fecal indicator bacteria (FIB). Beach sand, biofilms, and water all present unique advantages and challenges to pathogen introduction, growth, and persistence. These dynamics are further complicated by continuous exchange between sand and water habitats. Models of FIB and pathogen fate and transport at beaches can help predict the risk of infectious disease from beach use, but knowledge gaps with respect to decay and growth rates of pathogens in beach habitats impede robust modeling. Climatic variability adds further complexity to predictive modeling because extreme weather events, warming water, and sea level change may increase human exposure to waterborne pathogens and alter relationships between FIB and pathogens. In addition, population growth and urbanization will exacerbate contamination events and increase the potential for human exposure. The cumulative effects of anthropogenic changes will alter microbial population dynamics in beach habitats and the assumptions and relationships used in quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) and process-based models. Here, we review our current understanding of microbial populations and transport dynamics across the sand-water continuum at beaches, how these dynamics can be modeled, and how global change factors (e.g., climate and land use) should be integrated into more accurate beachscape-based models.
- Strategies for Monitoring Microbial Life in Beach Sand for Protection of Public HealthPublication . Brandão, João; Valério, Elisabete; Weiskerger, Chelsea; Veríssimo, Cristina; Sarioglou, Konstantina; Novak Babič, Monika; Solo-Gabriele, Helena M.; Sabino, Raquel; Rebelo, Maria TeresaThe 2021 revised guidelines of the World Health Organization recommend monitoring the quality of sand in addition to water at recreational beaches. This review provides background information about the types of beaches, the characteristics of sand, and the microbiological parameters that should be measured. Analytical approaches are described for quantifying fungi and fecal indicator bacteria from beach sand. The review addresses strategies to assess beach sand quality, monitoring approaches, sand remediation, and the proposed way forward for beach sand monitoring programs. In the proposed way forward, recommendations are provided for acceptable levels of fungi given their distribution in the environment. Additional recommendations include evaluating FIB distributions at beaches globally to assess acceptable ranges of FIB levels, similar to those proposed for fungi.