Deadly diarrhea-causing contaminants cannot be detected in defective testing methods

New research has discovered critical gaps in an emerging global public health tool for detecting faecal contamination of the environment-that is linked to life-threatening diarrhea diseases that cause 1.2 million deaths every year.

Despite the fact that it is considered applicable worldwide, methods for microbial source follow -ups (MST) may not be as reliable as assumed, a systematic review published in Critical reviews in Environmental Sciences and Technology has found. Health systems that depend on universal methods such as MST risks to miss critical opportunities for outbreaks of diarrhea diseases, which underlines the urgent need for standardized approaches.

Lead author Leah Barrett, a Ph.D. Candidate at Monash’s Rise Program (informal settlements and their environments revitalize) and based on the Department of Civil Engineering, said that an urgent global effort to standardize MST methods to prevent outbreaks is necessary.

“The impact of non -detected contamination is devastating because it contributes to the 1.2 million deaths that are caused every year by diarrhea diseases,” Barrett said.

Barrett said that universal tests often do not accurately identify contamination sources, because factors such as diet, climate and local sanitation practices considerably form the microbial makeup in each region, making it crucial to develop and validate MST markers that are tailored to these unique circumstances.

“The grim regional differences and a lack of customized solutions really set a limit on the interventions of public health and their ability to prevent deaths worldwide. A validly standardized global test method is urgently needed,” Barrett said.

“Regionally adapted solutions can transform MST into a powerful tool for combating diarrhical diseases, in particular in vulnerable regions. Without these efforts, the potential of MST remains to prevent and control these diseases.”