Detection methods for faecal contamination events: The gap for Australia: Trends in pathogen detection and recent developments in the field of pathogenic bacteria detection

Testing for the detection of human faecal indicator bacteria upon beaches and other bathing waters occurs routinely across Europe and the United States. Australia does not, as yet, carry out this sampling protocol. With the prospect of inevitable population growth and influx of tourists to recreational water bodies, testing could become a requirement to prevent the outbreak of respiratory and/or potentially fatal gastrointestinal illnesses. Current Escherichia coli detection methods are typically laborious, laboratory-based methods requiring up to 48 hours before the results are obtained. This is clearly insufficient, and researchers have recently geared efforts towards the development of rapid methods. The advent of new technologies, in the form of sensors, has brought about promising approaches. This review not only offers an overview of the trends in pathogen detection but also describes the current main techniques and traditional methods along with recent developments in the field of pathogenic bacteria detection.