Extended water stagnation in buildings during the COVID-19 pandemic increases the risks posed by opportunistic pathogens.

ABSTRACT: The regrowth and subsequent exposure of opportunistic pathogens (OPs) whilst reopening buildings that have been locked down due to the stay-at-home restrictions to limit the spread of COVID-19, is a public health concern. To better understand such microbiological risks due to lowered occupancy and water demand in buildings, first and post-flush water samples (n = 48) were sampled from 24 drinking water outlets from eight university buildings in two campuses (urban and rural), with various end-user occupancies. Both campuses were served with chlorinated water originating from a single drinking water distribution system in South-East Queensland, situated 14 km apart, where the rural campus had lower chlorine residuals. Culture-dependent and culture-independent methods (such as flow cytometry

SUBMITTER: Huang CK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10719583 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature