Factors Impacting the Prevalence of Foodborne Pathogens in Agricultural Water Sources in the Southeastern United States

• Published in: Water (Basel) Vol. 12; no. 1; p. 51
• Main Authors: Rodrigues, Camila, da Silva, Andre Luiz Biscaia Ribeiro, Dunn, Laurel L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01-01-2020
• Subjects: Agricultural production; Agriculture; Aquifers; Chemical contaminants; Contamination; Creeks & streams; Crops; E coli; Environmental aspects; Environmental factors; Epidemics; Fecal coliforms; Food contamination; Food contamination & poisoning; Food safety; Foodborne diseases; Foodborne pathogens; Geographical distribution; Geographical locations; Groundwater; Hazard identification; Health aspects; Identification and classification; Irrigation; Land use; Lettuce; Measurement; Methods; Microbial contamination; Microorganisms; Pathogenic microorganisms; Pathogens; Precipitation; Prevention; Public health; Rain; Rainfall; Salmonella; Seasonal variations; Sprinkler systems; Surface water; Testing; United States; Vegetables; Water in agriculture; Water pollution; Water quality; Water-supply, Agricultural; United States; North Carolina; United States > US; Tennessee; Georgia; Florida; Alabama; South Carolina
• ISSN: 2073-4441; 2073-4441
• DOI: 10.3390/w12010051

Surface water poses a great risk to fruit and vegetable crops when contaminated by foodborne pathogens. Several factors impact the microbial quality of surface waters and increase the risk of produce contamination. Therefore, evaluating the factors associated with the prevalence of pathogenic microorganisms in agricultural water sources is critical to determine and establish preventive actions that may minimize the incidence of foodborne outbreaks associated with contaminated production water. In the Southeastern U.S. environmental factors such as rainfall, temperature, and seasonal variations have been associated with the prevalence of pathogens or microbial indicators of fecal contamination in water. Also, the geographical location of the irrigation sources as well as surrounding activities and land use play an important role on the survival and prevalence of pathogenic bacteria. Therefore, these factors may be determinants useful in the evaluation of production water quality and may help to preemptively identify scenarios or hazards associated with the incidence of foodborne pathogenic microorganisms.