Advantages and Disadvantages of Traditional and Molecular Techniques Applied to the Detection of Pathogens in Waters

Abstract

New techniques such as hybridization and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) have been used to increase the sensitivity and specificity of detection of pathogens in waters over traditional methods. We can now detect as few as one single bacterial cell using these techniques. However, the application of state-of-the-art methodology requires a lot of expertise and high costs which most laboratories cannot afford. Thus, traditional methods will keep on being used by the great majority of laboratories. All laboratories have to keep in mind the intrinsic limitations of each and every one of the methods, and the high stringency necessary to avoid false positive results when using molecular techniques. It would be advisable, then, to use several techniques conjointly in order to determine the real public health significance of laboratory findings. It is, thus, of paramount importance to subject all new techniques to a series of Round Robin testings before raising false expectations as to their applicability to water analyses.