Monitoring of faecal seawater pollution by advanced methods and technologies.

Monitoring the microbiological quality of coastal seawaters through the detection of bacterial indicators of faecal pollution is recognised as a mandatory step to prevent hygienic-sanitary risks related to the recreational use of aquatic environments. The long analysis and response times of the methods conventionally accepted to determine the bacterial indicators make them inadequate to the early warning of environmental pollution episodes. New analytical methods, characterised by rapidity and specificity, are needed to protect both human and environmental health. This paper aims at reviewing the main analytical protocols that since 1990 have been developed and applied to coastal marine monitoring in the framework of several research programmes performed at the Thalassographic Institute of Messina, now a section of the Institute for Coastal Marine Environment (IAMC). Particularly, studies focused on the fluorescent antibody method and beta-glucuronidase assay using the MUG test (based on the fluorogenic compound 4-methylumbelliferone-beta-Dglucuronide), which are able to detect, through quick and specific reactions, target bacterial species such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., Enterococcus faecium. Both these methods offer a suitable tool to assess the pollution levels of coastal areas, allowing us to determine also the various physiological states in which bacterial pathogens persist in aquatic environments.