Reviving the “Moore Swab”: a Classic Environmental Surveillance Tool Involving Filtration of Flowing Surface Water and Sewage Water To Recover Typhoidal Salmonella Bacteria

Abstract

The “Moore swab” is a classic environmental surveillance tool whereby a gauze pad tied with string is suspended in flowing water or wastewater contaminated with human feces and harboring enteric pathogens that pose a human health threat. In contrast to single volume “grab” samples, Moore swabs act as continuous filters to “trap” microorganisms, which are subsequently isolated and confirmed using appropriate laboratory methods. Continuous filtration is valuable for the isolation of transiently present pathogens such as human-restricted Salmonella enterica serovars Typhi and Paratyphi A and B.