ALS Water Resources Group adds Microbial Source Tracking to its Suite of Services

The ALS Water Resources Group, has now added Microbial Source Tracking (MST) to its extensive suite of services. Microbial Source Tracking identifies sources of faecal contamination, revealing whether the contamination comes from human or animal waste.

Pinpointing and prioritising ‘hotspots’ of water contamination, MST is an essential testing service for industries reliant on water sources, as well as those involved in promoting sustainable management of catchment resources for the benefit of the community.

The ALS Water Resources Group Research and Development Director, Christobel Ferguson, says, “We are extremely pleased to add Microbial Source Tracking to our suite of services, offering our valued clients a leading edge water testing solution for the identification of pollution hotspots.”

With three packages on offer, clients can choose the most appropriate group of tests to meet their individual needs, or follow the Water Resources Group’s recommended tiered approach:

MST1 identifies sites of concern using standard assays for turbidity, pH, ammonia, E.coli and Enterococci to rank water quality results as low, medium or high risk.

MST2 supplements MST1 with specific assays for Bacteroidales by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (presence/absence result); and Bacteroides qPCR (quantitative PCR) for human and ruminant animal sources.

MST3 supplements MST2 results with specific assays for Campylobacter and Salmonella spp and qPCR assays for the Human enteric viruses (Adenovirus and Norovirus Genogroup II).

The Water Resources Group provides expert analysis of MST results and advises on whether there is low, medium or high risk of contamination for each of the potential sources examined.

For more information about Microbial Source Tracking, or The ALS Water Resources Group, please contact: Christobel Ferguson at christobel.ferguson@alsglobal.com

Micro Test – Big Results, Microbial Source Tracking (PDF 205KB)