A QUANTITATIVE HUMAN EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT MODEL FOR ANTIBIOTIC-RESISTANT ESCHERICHIA COLI THROUGH TAP WATER CONSUMPTION

摘要

Clean drinking water is an essential necessity for life, however, antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) have been found in tap water globally. The presence of ARB in tap water could lead to serious infections that are difficulty to treat. A quantitative human exposure assessment model was created examining the human exposure to antibiotic resistant Escherichia coli (E. coli) through drinking water. Both scientific literature and site specific data were used to create the model. Data were collected on the concentration of ARB at a European surface water site located near a drinking water treatment plant (DWTP), the effect of environmental factors, the effect of drinking water treatments and the quantity of human tap water consumption. The results show the human exposure to AR E. coli ranged between 3.44 × 10~(-7) and 2.95 × 10~(-1) CFU/day. To surpass the EU Drinking Water Directive (0 CFU/100ml of E. coli in tap water) a concentration of between 1 and 5 log CFU/ml is required in the source water. The results from this model could be used to recommend water treatments that provide the best reduction of human exposure to ARB.