Characterization of the Pathogenic Potential of the Beach Sand Microbiome and Assessment of Quicklime as a Remediation Tool

Characterization of the Pathogenic Potential of the Beach Sand Microbiome and Assessment of Quicklime as a Remediation Tool

Beach sand may act as a reservoir for potential human pathogens, posing a public health risk. Despite this, the microbiological monitoring of sand microbiome is rarely performed to determine beach quality. In this study, the sand microbial population of a Northern Adriatic Sea beach sand was profile...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Microorganisms (Basel) Vol. 11; no. 8; p. 2031
Main Authors: Soffritti, Irene, D’Accolti, Maria, Bini, Francesca, Mazziga, Eleonora, Volta, Antonella, Bisi, Matteo, Rossi, Silvia, Viroli, Francesco, Balzani, Marcello, Petitta, Marco, Mazzacane, Sante, Caselli, Elisabetta
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Basel MDPI AG 01-08-2023
MDPI
Subjects:
beach sand microbiome
Beaches
Contamination
Data collection
Decontamination
Decontamination (from gases, chemicals, etc.)
Drug resistance
Environmental aspects
Environmental remediation
Feces
Gastrointestinal diseases
Genetic aspects
Genomes
Health aspects
Health risk assessment
Health risks
Identification and classification
Illnesses
In vitro methods and tests
Lime
Methods
Microbiomes
Microorganisms
pathogen contamination
Pathogenic microorganisms
Pathogens
Population studies
Public health
Quality assessment
quicklime
Sand
Sand & gravel
Water quality
WGS
Italy
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Summary:Beach sand may act as a reservoir for potential human pathogens, posing a public health risk. Despite this, the microbiological monitoring of sand microbiome is rarely performed to determine beach quality. In this study, the sand microbial population of a Northern Adriatic Sea beach sand was profiled by microbiological (CFU counts) and molecular methods (WGS, microarray), showing significant presence of potential human pathogens including drug-resistant strains. Consistent with these results, the potential of quicklime as a restoring method was tested in vitro and on-field. Collected data showed that adding 1–3% quicklime (w/w) to sand provided an up to −99% of bacteria, fungi, and viruses, in a dose- and time-dependent manner, till 45 days post-treatment. In conclusion, data suggest that accurate monitoring of sand microbiome may be essential, besides water, to assess beach quality and safety. Moreover, first evidences of quicklime potential for sand decontamination are provided, suggesting its usage as a possible way to restore the microbiological quality of sand in highly contaminated areas.
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ISSN:2076-2607
2076-2607
DOI:10.3390/microorganisms11082031