Despite routine monitoring and disinfection, treated swimming pools are frequently contaminated with the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which can represent a significant public health threat. This review was undertaken to identify the current understanding of risk factors associated with pool operation with respect to P. aeruginosa. The ecology and factors that promote growth of P. aeruginosa in the pool environment are complex and dynamic and so we applied a systematic risk assessment approach to integrate existing data, with the aim to improve pool management and safety. Sources of P. aeruginosa, types of infections, dose responses, routes of transmission, as well as the efficacy of current disinfectant treatments were reviewed. This review also highlights the critical knowledge gaps that are required for a more robust, quantitative risk assessment of P. aeruginosa. Quantitative risk management strategies have been successfully applied to drinking water systems and should similarly be amenable to developing a better understanding of the risk posed by P. aeruginosa in swimming pools.
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Research Article|
May 14 2012
A risk assessment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in swimming pools: a review
Scott A. Rice;
1The School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences and the Centre for Marine Bio-Innovation, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia and The Singapore Centre on Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore
E-mail: [email protected]
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Ben van den Akker;
Ben van den Akker
2UNSW Water Research Centre, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
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Francesco Pomati;
Francesco Pomati
2UNSW Water Research Centre, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
3Current address: Eawag, Seestrasse 79, 6047 Kastanienbaum, Switzerland
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David Roser
David Roser
2UNSW Water Research Centre, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
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J Water Health (2012) 10 (2): 181–196.
Article history
Received:
December 20 2011
Accepted:
March 28 2012
Citation
Scott A. Rice, Ben van den Akker, Francesco Pomati, David Roser; A risk assessment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in swimming pools: a review. J Water Health 1 June 2012; 10 (2): 181–196. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wh.2012.020
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