Waterborne Pathogen Surveillance in Flood-Prone Regions Using qPCR

Abstract

This study evaluates quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction-qPCR-as a field-ready tool for spotting waterborne pathogens in regions regularly overwhelmed by flooding. By minimizing the lag between sample collection and pathogen identification, the approach aims to put lifesaving information into public-health hands while danger is still rising. A concise workflow bundles filtration, DNA extraction, and endpoint analysis, letting crews work straight from muddy river water without lengthy lab delays. Results show that qPCR, with its exponential sensitivity, outpaces the day-or-more turnaround of plating techniques, transforming tomorrow’s data into this hour’s decisions. Speed alone is moot unless communities trust the alerts, so neighborhood drills paired with the tests have begun building that faith. If adopted widely, the approach could stem cholera outbreaks, shortcut hospital queues, and, perhaps most importantly, convince at-risk families to stay put rather than evacuate on false alarms.