ReviewLetters in applied microbiology2017
Bacteriophages as indicators of faecal pollution and enteric virus removal.
Review in Letters in applied microbiology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 66 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
66 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Occurrence of coliphage in raw wastewater and in ambient water: A meta-analysis.Water research · 2019Pooled it
- International Airport Wastewater as a Sentinel Site for Genomic Surveillance of Human Viruses and Bacteriophages.Microorganisms · 2026Article
- Genetic Evaluation of Pepper Mild Mottle Virus as an Indicator in Water Quality Monitoring and Human Fecal Contamination in Swedish Waters.Food and environmental virology · 2026Article
- Comparative morphological, genomic, and functional characterization of two newly isolated lytic caudoviricetes phages targeting Escherichia coli and Salmonella.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Evaluation of dead-end hollowfiber ultrafilter options for enumerating somatic and F+ coliphage in ambient waters and wastewater.Journal of virological methods · 2026Article
- Evaluation and Comparison of the UV-LED Action Spectra for Photochemical Disinfection of Coliphages and Human Pathogenic Viruses.Microorganisms · 2025Article
- Novel Bacteroides bacteriophage-like quantitative real-time PCR assays for human sewage pollution measurement.Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987) · 2025Article
- Facile Control of a Tailed Virus Surrogate by Iron Conventional Coagulation and Electrocoagulation.Environmental science & technology · 2025Article
- Cultured and molecular measures of fecal indicator microbes in Gulf of Mexico recreational waters.The Science of the total environment · 2025Article
- Genomic Insights into and Lytic Potential of Native Bacteriophages M8-2 and M8-3 Against Clinically Relevant Multidrug-ResistantAntibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Review
- Quantitative fecal pollution assessment with bacterial, viral, and molecular methods in small stream tributaries.The Science of the total environment · 2024Article
- Occurrence of F-Specific Bacteriophages in Untreated and Treated Wastewaters in Mumbai.Indian journal of microbiology · 2024Article
- Detection and Quantification of Bacteriophages in Wastewater Samples by Culture and Molecular Methods.Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) · 2024Article
- Review
- Tools and methodology toFrontiers in microbiology · 2024Review
- Influence of membrane pore-size on the recovery of endogenous viruses from wastewater using an adsorption-extraction method.Journal of virological methods · 2023Article
- Searching for a Reliable Viral Indicator of Faecal Pollution in Aquatic Environments.Journal of microbiology (Seoul, Korea) · 2023Review
- Bioaccumulation Dynamic by Crassostrea gigas Oysters of Viruses That Are Proposed as Surrogates for Enteric Virus Contamination in Environmental Samples.Food and environmental virology · 2023Article
- The Effect of Protozoa Indigenous to Lakewater and Wastewater on Decay of Fecal Indicator Bacteria and Coliphage.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
6 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Bacteriophages are an attractive alternative to faecal indicator bacteria (FIB), particularly as surrogates of enteric virus fate and transport, due to their closer morphological and biological properties. Based on a review of published data, we summarize densities of coliphages (F+ and somatic), Bacteroides spp. and enterococci bacteriophages (phages) in individual human waste, raw wastewater, ambient fresh and marine waters and removal through wastewater treatment processes utilizing traditional treatments. We also provide comparisons with FIB and enteric viruses whenever possible. Lastly, we examine fate and transport characteristics in the aquatic environment and provide an overview of the environmental factors affecting their survival. In summary, concentrations of bacteriophages in various sources were consistently lower than FIB, but more reflective of infectious enteric virus levels. Overall, our investigation indicates that bacteriophages may be adequate viral surrogates, especially in built systems, such as wastewater treatment plants. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Bacteriophage are alternative fecal indicators that may be better surrogates for viral pathogens than fecal indicator bacteria (FIB). This report offers a summary of the existing literature concerning the utility of bacteriophage as indicators of viral presence (fecal sources and surface waters) and persistence (in built infrastructure and aquatic environments). Our findings indicate that bacteriophage levels in all matrices examined are consistently lower than FIB, but similar to viral pathogens. Furthermore, in built infrastructure (e.g. wastewater treatment systems) bacteriophage closely mimic viral pathogen persistence suggesting they may be adequate sentinels of enteric virus removal.
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