Microbial source tracking- Identification of the source of faecal infection
Faecal contamination degrades the aquatic environment and poses risks to the economy and public health by potentially introducing pathogenic microorganisms into water that can then be used for drinking, recreational or economic activities. Identifying the origin of faecal pollution that may be caused by either human or animal faeces is very important for the actions that must then be taken to restore the microbial quality of the contaminated water.
The Environmental Microbiology Unit of the Laboratory of Hygiene, offers services to determine the source of faecal contamination based on the detection of genetic material using modern molecular techniques.
In particular, the following analyses are carried out:
- Qualitative and quantitative analysis for the detection of human faecal contamination
- Qualitative and quantitative analysis for the detection of faecal contamination in pigs
- Qualitative and quantitative analysis for the detection of faecal contamination from cattle
- Qualitative and quantitative analysis for the presence of faecal contamination in birds (domestic and wild)