News
New method speeds up the molecular diagnosis of urinary tract infections
A research team comprising the Department of Water Quality and Health at the KL-University (Dr Claudia Kolm, Prof. Andreas Farnleitner), the Vienna University of Technology as part of the ICC Water & Health (Dr Georg Reischer, Johanna Kreuter), and the Clinical Institute of Hygiene and Microbiology at St. Pölten University Hospital (Prim. Barbara Ströbele, Dr Ildiko-Julia Pap, Dr Dominik Walter) has developed a new method that significantly accelerates a crucial step in the molecular diagnosis of urinary tract infections. The results were recently published in the journal Microbiology Spectrum.
Urinary tract infections are among the most common bacterial infections worldwide. For effective treatment, the causative pathogens must be identified quickly and reliably. Whilst traditional microbiological cultures often take more than a day, molecular methods enable a significantly faster diagnosis. However, the extraction of bacterial DNA from the samples often remains a key bottleneck.
The method now presented enables bacterial DNA to be isolated from urine samples in less than 30 minutes. It is based on a combination of ionic liquids and magnetic particles, which can be used to lysis bacterial cells and to bind and purify DNA.
Tests show that the method produces results comparable to those of established commercial DNA extraction kits. At the same time, the procedure is simpler, faster and more cost-effective.
The faster identification of pathogens can help to provide patients with targeted treatment more quickly and avoid the unnecessary use of antibiotics. In the long term, the method could therefore also contribute to the fight against antibiotic resistances.
The study also highlights the successful collaboration between the KL and St. Pölten University Hospital. By combining research and clinical practice, new diagnostic approaches can be developed and tested directly within the medical setting – an important contribution to the further development of modern molecular diagnostics.
ÖWAV webinar on wastewater monitoring
On 27 January 2026, the first webinar on wastewater monitoring was held under the direction of Univ.-Prof. Dr. Andreas Farnleitner, co-moderated by Magdalena Senitza, ÖWAV Head of Quality and Hygiene. In addition to Prof. Farnleitner, Head of the Water Quality and Health Department at KL, two ICC Water & Health members, Ass. Prof. Dr. Claudia Kolm and Ass. Prof. Dr. Julia Vierheilig, also gave presentations.
The webinar provided a concise overview of current developments and activities in the field of wastewater monitoring. In recent years, the wastewater-based epidemiological approach has established itself as a valuable supplement to clinical diagnostics for the early detection of health-related trends. It is also part of the newly revised EU Directive on the treatment of urban wastewater (KARL).
The aim of the webinar was to provide broad coverage of relevant aspects – from national implementation and previous experiences to practical insights into sampling and scientific perspectives. Topics discussed included the national implementation of previous and future monitoring activities for SARS-CoV-2 and other viral targets, antimicrobial resistance, trace substances and drugs.
The webinar was extremely well attended, with more than 230 participants, and significantly exceeded the originally planned time frame due to the high level of interest and the many questions from the audience.
New ICC Water & Health publication on automated flow cytometry in near-real-time water quality monitoring
Methods for faster monitoring of the water quality of drinking water and drinking water resources are increasingly being incorporated into water management practice. In an EU-funded research project, the applicability of automated flow cytometry for near-real-time determination of bacterial cells for operational monitoring of drinking water sources was tested in collaboration with Wiener Wasser. The paper ‘Performance of on-site flow cytometry for near-real-time microbiological analysis of alpine karst drinking water resources’ was published in the latest issue of the top journal npj Clean Water, a journal published by Springer Nature. The fully automated flow cytometer BactoSense from bNovate, which has been on the market since 2017, was used.
The instruments used in the study functioned reliably under difficult field conditions and detect microbial contaminants from surface runoff (including faecal matter) in the catchment area just as effectively as the physical-chemical proxy parameters currently in use. The combination of microbiological and abiotic indicators in (near) real time shows great potential for water safety planning by enabling timely and specific measures to be taken to ensure water quality.
Article published as cover story in the journal Water & Ecology
A new study (Department of Water Quality and Health; lead author Dr Mats Leifels) shows that amoebae found in water can absorb and protect human norovirus and adenovirus. Both viruses are known to be the main causes of acute viral gastroenteritis and are highly infectious in low concentrations. The viruses survive in the amoebae, which serve as a reservoir and whose envelope acts as an additional protective mechanism, thus enabling them to evade conventional disinfection methods such as UV and chlorine treatment. This finding could have implications for existing water treatment and food safety protocols and reveals new transmission routes in rivers and lakes.
The article was selected as the cover story by the Elsevier Journal Water & Ecology and featured on the cover.
>To the article
Andreas Farnleitner invited to speak at the 29th International Danube Shipping & Tourism Conference
From 23 to 26 November 2025, the 29th International Danube Shipping & Tourism Conference took place in Straubing (Bavaria). Andreas Farnleitner was invited by the organisers to give a presentation on the importance of proper wastewater disposal in Danube shipping for the water quality of the Danube. In the past, various media outlets and members of the public had repeatedly speculated that shipping on the Danube was causing significant faecal pollution of the river. In order to create a reliable basis for data and assessment, ICC Water & Health developed a special 3-stage investigation concept, which resulted in a highly acclaimed publication in the top journal Water Research (Steinbacher et al 2024, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2024. 122029). The internationally applicable concept consists of the theoretical determination and comparison of different emission scenarios, a high-resolution field analysis of river water quality including genetic investigations of faecal microbiological inputs, and a comparative statistical analysis of the field data collected with the observed ship traffic. The key findings of the study on the sustainable preservation of water quality in the Danube, particularly in relation to Danube shipping, were discussed in depth with moderator Tarek Leitner and over 300 industry representatives.
Link:
Acknowledgements: The study was carried out in collaboration with the Water Management Department (Office of the Lower Austrian Provincial Government) and the Waterway Police. Funding was provided by the Province of Lower Austria and the GFF research project ‘Future Danube’ (LSC19-016).
Tenure track position for Claudia Kolm
We are delighted that Claudia Kolm has been promoted to assistant professor in the Department of Water Quality and Health at Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences!
Claudia's research and teaching make a significant contribution to the field of water quality and public health, with her research focusing on methodology development. Her great commitment inspires colleagues and students alike.
The KL community is delighted to celebrate this achievement and looks forward to working with Claudia on further research projects.
How does antibiotic resistance affect Lower Austria's rivers?
From March 2020 to August 2024, the Department of Water Quality and Health at Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences conducted a comprehensive study on the spread of antibiotic resistance and disease-relevant pathogens in Lower Austrian rivers. The aim of the study was to gain a realistic picture of the current situation - both for scientific experts and for water management - and to place the results in an international context. The study was supported by the Gesellschaft für Forschungsförderung Niederösterreich (GFF, project "RIVAR"). The study leaders, Assoc. Prof. PD Dr Alexander Kirschner and Univ. Prof. PD Dr Andreas Farnleitner, MSc, report on the implementation, content-related approaches and recommendations derived from this for the domestic wastewater industry.
Antibiotic resistance in rivers and wastewater is increasingly attracting scientific and public interest. In order to obtain the first comprehensive data on the occurrence of such resistance in Lower Austrian rivers, water samples from four rivers were analysed. The samples came from different sections - from clean headwaters to areas downstream of sewage treatment plants, whose catchment areas also contained wastewater from hospitals. "The investigations focussed on a section of the Danube near Krems and Traismauer, where two municipal sewage treatment plants discharge, as well as three tributary rivers: the Ybbs, the Traisen and the Kamp. The study analysed whether these waters are polluted by discharges from wastewater treatment plants with clinical wastewater - for example from hospitals in Zwettl, Amstetten, Krems and St. Pölten. For comparison, so-called reference sites were also included, for example upstream of Lunz or near Herzogenburg, where there is no or only minimal influence from wastewater treatment plants. These sites serve as a baseline for assessing the pollution," explains Prof. Dr. Alexander Kirschner, Deputy Head of the Department.
The study pursued two central questions: Firstly, the health-relevant burden of resistant bacteria was investigated, and secondly, how the corresponding resistance genes have already spread in the bacterial communities of the rivers. "We analysed Escherichia coli as a model pathogen with high relevance for humans. This indicator is also recommended by the WHO for environmental monitoring. A total of 2,736 isolates were obtained and tested for their resistance to 20 different antibiotics - a very extensive data set that was collected by our doctoral student Melanie Leopold with the support of students," explains the expert. In addition, nine different antibiotic resistance genes were analysed, including those of high clinical relevance that occur only rarely and often play a role in reserve antibiotics. "We analysed how these genes have spread in the microbiomes of rivers - especially after discharge points from sewage treatment plants," says Prof. Dr. Andreas Farnleitner, co-head of the study and head of the department.
Results and international classification
Four measuring points were selected on each river, each of which was sampled five times over the course of a year (October to October). This also allowed the temporal development to be assessed - for example, whether seasonal fluctuations play a role. "Overall, Austria has very good wastewater treatment, which is primarily aimed at removing nutrients such as carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus compounds. The reduction of pathogenic germs is a very positive side effect. Nevertheless, pathogens, faecal bacteria and resistance genes continue to enter the environment despite the purification stages," says Alexander Kirschner, describing the results. An international comparison of the emission of resistance and resistance genes shows that Austria has a low level of contamination within Europe, similar to the Scandinavian countries. The concentrations measured in the river sections analysed therefore do not currently give any immediate cause for concern. At the same time, the data situation is still inadequate in many areas. In particular, the long-term persistence of resistant bacteria and resistance genes, their effects on humans, animals and the environment and the link to agricultural sources have hardly been researched to date.
One Health approach and further measures
The results also emphasise the importance of the One Health approach, which views humans, animals and the environment as an interconnected system. "On the one hand - as is currently being discussed and proposed under the new EU Wastewater Directive - the expansion of municipal wastewater treatment plants to include a future fourth treatment stage to reduce chemical trace substances would be of great benefit. This could also contribute to the further removal of antibiotic resistance. However, the continued restrained use of antibiotics, particularly in clinical and general practice settings, is just as important as further monitoring in future studies in order to recognise changes at an early stage and evaluate developments." The conclusion: "The study makes an important contribution to assessing the environmental impact of antibiotic resistance in Austrian waters. It shows that, despite favourable framework conditions, there is still a need for action - both in the investigation of future environmental emissions and in the responsible use of antibiotics," concludes Alexander Kirschner.
Link to the study: First comprehensive quantitative survey of antibiotic resistance in four Lower Austrian rivers - Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Interuniversity Cooperation Centre Water&Health, www.waterandhealth.at
The Water Quality and Health Department on its "3rd mission"
In addition to research and teaching, the ‘third mission’ of the Department of Water Quality and Health is particularly important, namely the transfer of knowledge to society. This is achieved on the one hand through comprehensive activities in professional associations and on the other hand through the transfer of knowledge to the ‘general’ population. As part of this, Prof. Andreas Farnleitner was invited to be the keynote speaker at the 9th Late Summer Workshop of the German Society for Water Chemistry in Langenau on 22 September to talk about ‘Diagnosis and monitoring of microbial hazards for risk management in drinking water supply’. The focus was on the revolution in water analysis through the increasing use of genetic methods in faecal contamination diagnostics, which is now finding its way not only into scientific studies but also into general practice.
On 30 September, Assoc. Prof. Alexander Kirschner gave a webinar for the Floridsdorf Adult Education Centre on the topic of ‘How clean is the Danube?’.
In his presentation, Alexander Kirschner spoke primarily about the development of faecal contamination in the Danube over the last 25 years, incorporating the latest results from this year's Danube expedition (Joint Danube Survey).
Still a well-protected water kingdom
the text appeared in the online magazine Art & Science Krems a co-operation project of KL.
Clean water from the tap is taken for granted in Austria. Andreas Farnleitner, Head of the Department of Water Quality and Health at Karl Landsteiner University and Co-Head of the ICC Water & Health, explains the safety net behind every glass of drinking water.
We don't know any different in this country: "Drinking water in Austria is of excellent quality," says Andreas Farnleitner, Head of the Water Quality and Health Department at the Karl Landsteiner University. Farnleitner knows it differently, having worked as a scientist in various countries around the world. We owe the comparatively high quantity and quality of water above all to our favourable location in the Alps. Our drinking water resource is groundwater. The "water kingdom" of Austria has always focused on protecting spring areas well and minimising necessary treatment measures. "However, we do not live on an island of bliss - climate change is also having an impact in Austria. In the east in particular, for example, there is less water regionally, but the water industry is responding to this and suppliers are joining forces to improve distribution." As a foodstuff, drinking water is subject to the strict specifications and limits of the Austrian Drinking Water Ordinance and is strictly monitored by independent bodies.
Farnleitner holds a double professorship at Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences and TU Vienna. He and his colleagues from the Inter-University Cooperation Centre Water & Health (ICC Water & Health), of which MedUni Vienna is also a member, play a leading role in various committees, for example at the International Water Association (IWA) or as experts at the WHO. Twenty years ago, the ICC Water & Health “developed organically - without a mandate - from an initial collaboration between myself and professor Regina Sommer from MedUni Vienna. ”That is the recipe for success," says Farnleitner, who is co-director of the cooperation centre. Otherwise, it would probably have to be invented as quickly as possible, because research is conducted here in an international network in order to sustainably safeguard drinking water, irrigation, bathing water, snowmaking etc.
Growing challenges
One example is the research cooperation with the City of Vienna which aims to shed light on four major shaping forces by 2029 in order to tackle them: global change, technology change, analysis change and regulation change. Global change encompasses more than just global warming. For example, it is also about new pathogens due to more travelling or more wastewater due to growing cities. The amount and distribution of drinking water is changing as the climate warms. There are more frequent extreme weather events that can jeopardise drinking water. Less water is less able to dilute any pollution. Dried-out (or even sealed) soil loses its ability to absorb and retain water. It filters less well - precipitation rushes through or simply runs off.
A molecule in a bathtub
How are climate warming, microplastics and persistent chemicals currently affecting drinking water? "The source protection areas are usually well-chosen to minimise human influence. Trace substances can now be measured very accurately. The fact that something is detectable in the 'picogram range' does not automatically mean that it poses a health risk. However, relevant substances must be identified and strictly regulated or banned. We also need to further research and prove the exact toxicological relevance of many substances," says Farnleitner. This is where the analytical change comes in, which ultimately involves selecting measurement methods that are stable, cost-efficient and comparable in practice.
The regulatory change takes the form of the "Water Safety Planning Strategy" of the WHO. Drinking water safety is defined as "from the catchment to the tap", i.e. from the catchment area to the tap along the entire "production chain". This must be planned, checked and managed. In addition, specifications and procedures are defined for drinking water hazards, such as flooding: "This planning is never complete; the process is constantly being improved step by step by experts". In principle, direct and ambitious health-related WHO targets now also apply. Put simply, for example, a maximum of one in 10,000 people per year may contract a faecal-borne infection from drinking water. Where the quality of drinking water is inadequate, disinfection or treatment is required by law. In view of the ongoing warming, it should also be noted that drinking water is a perishable good: "A well-matured groundwater resource has its own natural water microbiome. However, the warmer the water, the lower the so-called biostability. Odour or appearance can change, or even opportunistic pathogens can become prevalent."
Divided river water
From the recent analysis of the Danube recently carried out by Professor Alexander Kirschner from ICC Water & Health - from Ulm to the Black Sea - he reports that water quality has improved in all EU countries. However, Farnleitner's report on the situation in low-income countries (LINCs) is truly alarming. The UN has proclaimed goals for sustainable development by 2030, and the SDG6 "Clean water and sanitation" aims to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. These two areas are combined into one goal, as they are inconceivable without each other. "This goal will not be achieved in severely affected regions - six times more would have had to be done. Without sanitation, drinking water is contaminated, and without clean water for washing hands, faecal-borne diseases are unavoidable," says Farnleitner. In figures 2.2 billion people have no access to clean drinking water. That is 28 percent of the world's population. 3.4 billion people - or 43 percent - have no sanitation. 500 million people defecate in the fields, which contributes to two billion people suffering from worm infections.
What would be important from the perspective of the water expert, who has worked in Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia? "It's not about high technology, but about the targeted use of funds for infrastructure and information, especially maternal education. We have technology and knowledge - it's about a basic budget and consistent implementation. The more politically unstable the country and the more cramped the living conditions, for example in slums, the worse the water quality usually is."
The element of water has fascinated Andreas Farnleitner since childhood. The state-certified mountain guide grew up in the Wechsel-Semmering-Rax region, used to be an enthusiastic ice climber and cave explorer. Today he and his team at St Pölten University Hospital (Team Primaria Barbara Ströbele) in the comprehensive hygiene and microbiology training programme for students: "During my studies, I set the course to be able to make a difference in the field of water quality. I find it motivating and fascinating to be able to help and shape things - that's not something that can be taken for granted."
Text: Astrid Kuffner
The Online magazine ask - art & science krems provides insights into the lively cultural and research city of Krems. It raises awareness of the intellectual, scientific and artistic charisma of this place and thus anchors it more firmly in the consciousness of exponents and those interested in art and science. In addition, ask seeks out interfaces between the institutions that may not be obvious at first glance.
KL is a co-operation partner of the magazine and has contributed ideas for stories and portraits since the beginning.
Joint Danube Survey 5 – Microbiology programme successfully implemented
The Joint Danube Survey is the largest river expedition in the world and has been organised every six years since 2001 by the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR). A total of 1,000 scientists from 100 organisations in 14 countries took part this summer.
Alexander Kirschner and Andreas Farnleitner from the Water Quality and Health Department were responsible for the comprehensive microbiological testing programme. The Austrian sampling team from KL and MedUni Vienna consisted of Alexander Kirschner, Mats Leifels, Ofélia Kirschner and Alexandra Fobe. They were actively supported by a three-member team from the University of Belgrade. A total of 68 water samples were taken to investigate faecal contamination and the spread of antibiotic resistance using state-of-the-art molecular biological methods along the entire river and its main tributaries. The samples were taken by car and rubber dinghy and analysed in six partner laboratories or prepared for later analysis.
A first glance at the data shows that microbiological water quality in EU countries has continued to improve significantly over the last six years. Only in the central region of non-EU member Serbia is the pollution level extremely high in some areas, as there is still no wastewater treatment system in place.
Water connects: Interdisciplinary dialogue at the 2nd Symposium on Water Quality and Health
In early summer 2025, AGES – the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety – and the Interuniversity Cooperation Centre for Water and Health (ICC W&H) held their second symposium on water quality and health.
Under the patronage of the Austrian Society for Hygiene, Microbiology and Preventive Medicine (ÖGHMP), around 120 participants focused on the relationship between water quality and the ‘One Health’ principle: This refers to an interdisciplinary, systemic approach that considers the close connection between human, animal and environmental health to ensure sustainable water quality.
The programme was divided into three thematic blocks and covered
- Climate change and its impact on our water resources
- The latest news on pathogens and pollutants in water, and
- Wastewater as a resource, source of information and hazard.
A particular highlight was the opening lecture by Prof. James Ebdon, University of Brighton, UK, on ‘Bacteriophages as a multifaceted tool in the environment and medicine’, which impressively demonstrated the use of bacteriophages as viral faecal indicators and their application in the fight against bacterial pathogens.
The participants and organisers unanimously agreed that the symposium series should definitely be continued!
Portrait of young researcher Denisa Cont: Controlling endotoxins in the blood
In her PhD project at the University of Vorarlberg (UWK) in cooperation with KL, young researcher Denisa Cont is investigating heparin, a widely used anticoagulant in clinical practice. The research aims to contribute to the optimisation of more effective therapeutic strategies
for bacterial infections.
Denisa Cont was interviewed by Chemiereport and is now presenting her profile in >this article:
We are proud to be working with Denisa in our department – Water Quality and Health at KL!
‘One Water’ podcast series
As part of the ‘One Water’ series of events organised by the state of Lower Austria, the first podcast on the topic of water in the holistic context of the impact of global changes and conflicts of use on the water supply was created in March 2025.
Andreas Farnleitner (Head of the Department of Water Quality and Health at the KL) spoke with Peter Strauß (Head of the Federal Office for Water Management in Petzenkirchen) and Gabriele Weigelhofer (Head of the Lunz Water Cluster), moderated by the well-known actress Ursula Strauß, about the challenges of water supply and water use today and tomorrow. The podcast and other editions of the series can be listened to on the website https://one-water-wasser-ist-leben.stationista.com/.
Appendix: Photo from left to right: U. Strauß/A. Farnleitner/G. Weigelhofer/P. Strauß
ViWa2020+ Midterm Symposium
On 28 March 2025, the Midterm Symposium of the Vienna Water Resource System 2020+ (ViWa2020+) for the most important stakeholders and national experts in water management took place in the impressive ambience of the TUtheSKY at the Vienna University of Technology. ViWa2020+ is a long-term research cooperation (2021 to 2029) between the ICC Water&Health (with the participation of the Department of Water Quality and Health at the KL) and the City of Vienna (Wiener Wasser) on the topic of ‘Sustainably ensuring the high water quality of Vienna's water supply’. In line with the motto ‘scientific excellence with practical relevance’, the cooperation comprises a total budget of more than 5 million euros from competitive research funding and the City of Vienna's own funds. In addition to welcoming remarks by City Councillor Jürgen Czernohorszky and Chief Operating Officer Paul Hellmeier, TU Vice-Rector Peter Ertl, MedUni Vienna Vice-Rector Michaela Fritz, KL Rector Rudolf Mallinger and the two TU Deans Ronald Blab and Marko Mihovilovic addressed the interested audience in the morning.
After a networking brunch, the scientific symposium took place with the research topics ‘Regulation Change & Emerging Hazards’ - ‘Analysis Change’ - ‘Technology Change’ and ‘Global Change’, in which water suppliers, representatives of ministries, federal states and municipalities as well as universities took part. The TUtheSKY was fully booked with 130 participants!
Successful PhD graduation of Sophia Steinbacher, Department of Water Quality and Health
On 4 March, our PhD student Sophia Steinbacher became the second department graduate to complete her dissertation with distinction at TU Wien. As part of the ICC Water & Health, the department's dissertations are carried out in cooperation with TU Wien or MedUni Vienna. The studies were carried out as part of the GFF-funded projects ‘AQUASCREEN’ and ‘FUTURE DANUBE’ with the support of the Office of the Lower Austrian Provincial Government. In her work ‘Evaluation and Application of Molecular Diagnostic Methods for Microbial Water Quality Analysis’, Sophia Steinbacher dealt with the use of new molecular biological methods to solve complex microbiological problems in water management. Three of her papers have already been published and two more are in preparation.
In the recently published work (Steinbacher et al. 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2025.123406), 16S rDNA gene sequencing was used to understand and solve the problem of black particle formation in a large drinking water distribution system. It was found that the seasonal recurrence of the filamentous bacterium Crenothrix (well thread) was linked to the particle formation and that this bacterium can be used as a technical indicator for particle formation in riverine groundwater bodies. In the other two studies, the detection of ‘intelligent’ molecular faecal diagnostics was used to trace faecal pollution back to the corresponding polluters (humans vs. animals) and to solve current pollution problems of groundwater or surface waters (Steinbacher et al. 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.122029; Steinbacher et al. 2024, doi: 10.1007/s00506-021-00811-y).
Lecture on the topic of water quality and health
On Thursday, 30 January 2025, Dr Andreas Farnleitner, professor at KL and TU Vienna, gave an exciting lecture as part of the SCIENCE science programme of the VHS Vienna on the topic of ‘Water quality & health - what you should definitely know about it’ in the lecture room of the Planetarium of the Volkshochschule Wien (in the Prater next to the Giant Ferris Wheel). This lecture provided the essential facts about the importance of (microbiological) water quality, the future challenges and the great new possibilities in analysis and management. Currently, 2.2 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water, and although much has been achieved, the Sustainable Development Goal SDG#6 - Safe Drinking Water for All’ will not be achieved. After a 50-minute presentation, Prof Farnleitner answered questions from the inquisitive audience (both directly and online). The event was also offered as a webinar by the VHS Vienna.
First successful PhD degree from the Department of Water Quality and Health
On 7 November 2024, our PhD student Melanie Leopold was the first graduate of the KL Department of Water Quality and Health to complete her dissertation with distinction at TU Wien. As part of the ICC Water & Health, the department's dissertations are carried out in cooperation with TU Wien or MedUni Vienna. The studies were carried out as part of the GFF-funded projects ‘RIVAR’ and ‘RIBUST’ at KL. In her work ‘Insights into antimicrobial resistance patterns in Lower Austrian rivers along gradients of faecal pollution’, Melanie Leopold looked at faecal pollution and the spread of antimicrobial resistance in water and biofilms (microbial communities on submerged surfaces of stones or branches) in Lower Austrian rivers. Two of their papers have already been published, another is still under revision. By using a harmonised and quantitative study design on four different rivers for the first time, she was able to show that antibiotic resistance can accumulate locally in biofilms in rivers, but that this cannot be generalised and that many previous studies have led to over-interpretation and over-generalisation.
This leads to the demand for international harmonisation of the methodology and awareness of this problem in order to contribute to a better understanding of the environmental resistance problem and to be able to develop effective strategies to contain it.
The work:
Leopold M et al (2024) International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health 258: 114361. doi: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2024.114361
Leopold M et al (2023) J Water Health 21:1898-1907. doi: 10.2166/wh.2023.232.
Leopold et al (in revision) Journal of Hazardous Materials
Bioreactor hot water boiler
Hot and cold running water in buildings has been an established comfort worldwide since the late 19th century. However, legally binding hygienic and microbiological aspects are still limited to cold drinking water (with the exception of the legionella issue). Neither the EU nor US regulations explicitly mention warm or hot water. In collaboration with Swiss scientists and company partners, the microbial communities in hot water boilers were examined in detail for the first time using cytometry and metagenome sequencing by the ICC Water & Health team with the participation of the Water Quality and Health department. The results were published this year in the top journal Water Research and recently in the trade journal for the Swiss water industry Aqua & Gas. It was found that highly active, fast-growing bacterial communities are present in high concentrations in the hot water boilers, which are completely different from the cold water communities. These hot water communities are dominated by a few species, whereby one species, Thermus scotoductus, was found in almost all boilers, regardless of whether they were located in Austria or Switzerland.
Interestingly, no known pathogens were found in any of the hot water boilers tested, but the role of the hot water bacteria present in terms of their nutrient sources, biofilm formation and their potential promotion of pathogens should be investigated further.
World Water Conference
From August 11 to 15, 2024, the World Water Conference took place in Toronto, Canada, with more than 7000 participants. The ICC Water & Health was strongly represented with 6 scientists. In addition to 3 oral and 3 poster presentations, the workshop on "Use of genetic methods for microbiological water quality analysis: a global survey in the water industry", led by Andreas Farnleitner and Joan Rose and realized by the ICC W&H team (organizing committee: Mats Leifels, Claudia Kolm and Katalin Demeter), was a great success, attracting the largest number of interested scientists. In the workshop, the results of the survey were presented and further necessary steps were discussed in detail with the participants. The results of the survey and the workshop will lead to an international publication with the participation of top global experts and key stakeholders in 2025 to discuss how the use of modern genetic methods should be handled in the daily practice of water management in the future in order to be reflected in standards, regulations, guidelines or laws. In addition, ICC W&H co-leader Prof. Regina Sommer was ceremoniously awarded the IWA Fellowship - a great professional honor. Congratulations!
ICC Water & Health at the 38th Annual Conference of the ÖGHMP
The 38th annual conference of the Austrian Society for Hygiene, Microbiology and Preventive Medicine (ÖGHMP) took place in Salzburg from May 13 to 16, 2024. The ICC Water & Health was very well represented with more than 20 participants, including 10 employees from the Department of Water Quality and Health at KL. In total, the ICC Water & Health contributed 9 presentations, 2 chairmanships and 18 poster contributions.
RESEARCH WQ&H | Investigation of antibiotic resistance along the entire Danube
Two new scientific studies to understand the spread of antibiotic resistance (ABR, resistance of bacteria to antibiotics) along the Danube have come up with important key findings: Biofilms present in the river could be better indicators than the water itself for the entry of antibiotic-resistant bacteria from clinical facilities and wastewater. Read >the entire news item here.
Kick-off event for the ARISE project
On April 22, 2024, the kick-off event of the project ARISE - "Evaluation of innovative molecular analysis methods and approaches for the monitoring of antibiotic resistance in wastewater" will take place at KL. The planned amendment to the European Urban Wastewater Directive will oblige member states to monitor wastewater treatment plants with more than 100,000 PE with regard to emissions of antibiotic resistance. However, unlike in the case of viral pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2 or polio, AMR wastewater monitoring is still in its infancy. The aim of the ARISE project is to create the essential methodological basis and to develop, test and implement forward-looking analysis concepts for monitoring antibiotic resistance in wastewater. The project is being funded by the FFG as part of the KIRAS safety research program with a total amount of > 1.5 million euros, with both the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture acting as funding agencies.
Claudia Kolm and Andreas Farnleitner from the Department of Water Quality and Health are leading the project with the involvement of other ICC Water & Health partners from MedUni Vienna, TU Vienna and MedUni Graz. The early implementation of this flagship project will enable the department to set national and international standards.
Further information can be found on the FFG project website.
One Water 2024
On the initiative of ecoplus. Niederösterreichs Wirtschaftsagentur GmbH, the kick-off event of the new annual event series "One Water" will take place from March 21 to 22, 2024. The focus is on the vital resource of mankind: "Water". Experts from the fields of science, business and administration will take a comprehensive look at and discuss the topic from a wide variety of perspectives. You can find more information >here.
First-ever mapping of antibiotic resistance genes along the entire Danube
The global spread of antibiotic resistance in the environment poses a growing threat to health. Large rivers are of particular importance here, as they are important lifelines and at the same time are heavily polluted by wastewater discharges. In a large-scale collaboration between the Department of Water Quality and Health, MedUni Vienna, TU Vienna, MedUni Graz, IFA Tulln and international cooperation partners, the spatial and temporal occurrence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARG) along 2311 km of the navigable Danube was investigated for the first time. The integration of modern faecal pollution diagnostics with key ecological and chemical parameters made it possible to link ARG concentrations with the most important sources of pollution to explain the observed resistance patterns. Pollution from human sewage was the dominant factor for the observed ARG patterns along the Danube. Other significant correlations of specific ARGs were observed with flow, certain metals and pesticides. Animal contaminants were only sporadically detectable and were more weakly correlated with ARG. The recently published study number 1 journal of our research field (1) in the provides the first comprehensive baseline ARG values along the Danube and lays the foundation for future monitoring of trends and recommendation of targeted management measures.
Denisa Cont wins tecnet/accent Innovation Award 2023
Denisa Cont, PhD student in the Department of Water Quality and Health (KL) and at the Center for Biomedical Technology (UWK), was awarded the tecnet/accent Innovation Award. The award ceremony took place on 16 January 2024 at the Landhaus St. Pölten, where Cont was honored for her research work in the field of improved endotoxin detection in blood samples.
Endotoxins are central components of the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria and can enter the bloodstream during bacterial infections. As part of the GFF-NÖ-funded project "HepBinProt", a cooperation between UWK and KL, Cont is investigating heparin-binding antimicrobial proteins in human blood plasma. These proteins play an important role in the defense against bacterial infections and open up new avenues in the diagnosis and treatment of endotoxin-induced diseases such as sepsis.
The tecnet/accent Innovation Award recognizes Conts' research achievement, which significantly increases the sensitivity and accuracy of the Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL) test, the standard method for endotoxin detection, and underlines the importance of inter-university collaboration.
Cont is currently developing flow cytometric detection methods at KL to test the effectiveness of newly isolated antimicrobial proteins against bacteria.
Congratulations from KL!
Andreas Farnleitner takes over chairmanship of the new ÖAW committee "Wastewater monitoring"
Andreas Farnleitner, Head of the Department of Water Quality and Health at KL Krems, takes over the chairmanship of the new "Wastewater Monitoring" subcommittee at the Austrian Water and Waste Management Association (ÖWAV).
In this expert group, which also includes other members of the department and the ICC Water & Health (Alexander Kirschner, Claudia Kolm, Mats Leifels, Rita Linke), guidelines are to be drawn up on how microbiological wastewater monitoring in Austria can be efficiently implemented using state-of-the-art methods, with molecular detection methods initially taking center stage.
Since the COVID pandemic, wastewater monitoring using molecular methods (such as PCR and sequencing) has been increasingly used to draw conclusions about the incidence of infection in the population with regard to certain pathogens. In the post-COVID era, these could include other pathogenic viruses or antibiotic-resistant bacteria, but also chemical trace substances, medicines and drugs.
The technical committee will be run in coordination with the new "Epidemiological Waste Water Surveillance" cluster group of the International Water Association (IWA), in which ICC Water & Health members will also play a leading role. Other participants in the ÖWAV committee will include ministries, federal states, AGES, universities and others.
Start of the "SEWAT" safety research project at KL
"SEWAT - Microbiological and chemo-physical real-time parameters for quality control in mobile drinking water treatment" is a cooperative project funded by the FFG as part of the KIRAS Safety Research Call 2022.
The project, which began in April 2023, will now also start at KL in mid-November. As part of the project, ICC Water & Health researchers from TU Wien, MedUni Vienna and KL (Department of Water Quality & Health, Head: Prof. Andreas Farnleitner, Deputy Head Prof. Alexander Kirschner) will test modern real-time methods for assessing treatment efficiency in mobile drinking water treatment systems for military and civilian crisis and disaster operations using equipment from bNovate Technologies, s::can and Vienna Water Monitoring Solutions.
Under the leadership of Dr. Claudia Kolm, a concept is to be developed at the KL to enable the automated detection of virus particles using flow cytometry, whereby fluorescence microscopy and particle sorting will be used in addition to flow cytometry. These applications are required by the NBC Defense Center of the Austrian Armed Forces, the Austrian Red Cross and the Defense Science Institute for Protection Technologies of the German Federal Ministry of Defense.
Review article on the occurrence of Vibrio cholerae in Austrian bathing waters published
Non-cholera-toxigenic Vibrio cholerae bacteria (NTVC) are natural inhabitants of certain bathing waters and can cause a variety of infections. In particular, older, immunocompromised patients with certain pre-existing conditions are at increased risk. Worldwide reports show that NTVC infections are on the rise due to global warming. The review article summarizes the findings of the last two decades on NTVC infections and their occurrence in bathing waters in Austria. It was investigated whether NTVC infections have increased and which environmental conditions favor the occurrence of NTVC . In order to sensitize medical professionals to NTVC infections, typical symptoms, possible treatment options and the antibiotic resistance status of Austrian NTVC isolates were discussed.
The Department of Water Quality & Health at KL (Prof. Kirschner, Prof. Farnleitner, Dr.in Kolm, Rehm, MSc), the Institute of Hygiene and Applied Immunology at MedUni Vienna, the Institute of Process Engineering, Environmental Engineering and Technical Biosciences at TU Wien, and AGES Austria were involved in the research.
> To the overview article
WQ&H - Future Danube
At a joint event on September 4, 2023, the first results of the successful project collaboration between the Department WA2, the State of Lower Austria, the Lower Austrian Water Inspectorate, the ICC Water & Health and the Department of Water Quality and Health at the KL were presented as part of the project "FUTURE DANUBE - Predicting future trends in the health-related microbiological water quality of rivers in a rapidly changing world". The focus was on the series of samples taken from October 2021 to September 2023* on the Danube in Lower Austria in collaboration with the shipping inspectorate. The analyzed hygienic-microbiological water quality serves to determine the faecal pollution situation of the Danube and subsequently forms the basis for the calibration of a model that will determine the impact of future scenarios i.e. climate change, population growth, changes in wastewater treatment on water quality and the risk of infection when bathing or obtaining drinking water.
A special focus of the scenario analysis will be the inclusion of shipping and its possible increase in the next 10 - 30 years.
The basis for this is a previously successfully created and published concept for evaluating the influence of shipping on the faecal pollution situation of the Danube in Lower Austria, as well as an already published model for the future microbiological-hygienic water quality of the Danube upstream of Vienna. The work carried out in the project met with extremely positive feedback and the cooperation was appreciated by all project partners, thus laying the foundation for future collaborations.
You can find more information > here.
*One sampling series was already carried out in 2019 - 2020; a second sampling series took place in 2021 - 2023 and was the focus of the event on September 4, 2023.
ICC Water & Health conferences in June
In June 2023, two scientific symposia are planned, which will be organized by the ICC Water & Health with significant participation of the Water Quality and Health Division. On 29 June 2023, the first symposium on water quality and health in cooperation with AGES, the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety. will be held in Vienna In addition to guest lectures by representatives of the WHO and EU on new regulations in the assessment of bathing water quality, researchers from the ICC and AGES will discuss current topics of water quality and health in the field of international challenges such as global warming, technological development or the spread of antibiotic resistance.
The 21st HRWM "Health-Related Water Microbiology " Symposium of the International Water Association (IWA) took place in Darwin, Australia, from June 4 to 9, 2023.
Under the presidency of our ICC Water & Health co-chair Prof. Regina Sommer, the ICC was represented with 8 delegates and 4 panel presentations on topics such as genetic methods for the diagnosis of fecal pollution, advanced metagenomics or quantitative risk analysis of waterborne pathogens. Prof. Andreas Farnleitner, together with ICC Water & Health members Dr. Katalin Demeter and Dr. Claudia Kolm and Prof. Joan Rose from the University of Michigan, held a workshop on how to translate genetic diagnostics of faecal contamination from science to practice and gain its acceptance by water utilities and government agencies worldwide.
21st HRWM "Health-Related Water Microbiology " Symposium of the International Water Association (IWA)
The 21st HRWM "Health-Related Water Microbiology " Symposium of the International Water Association (IWA) took place in Darwin, Australia, from June 4 to 9, 2023. Under the presidency of our ICC Water & Health Co-Head Prof. Regina Sommer, the ICC was represented with 8 delegates and 4 panel presentations on topics such as genetic methods for the diagnosis of fecal pollution, advanced metagenomics or quantitative risk analysis of waterborne pathogens. Prof. Andreas Farnleitner, together with ICC Water & Health members Dr. Katalin Demeter and Dr. Claudia Kolm and Prof. Joan Rose from the University of Michigan, held a workshop on how to translate genetic diagnostics of fecal pollution from science to practice and gain its acceptance by water utilities and government agencies worldwide.
Sophia Steinbacher elected YWP President
Sophia Steinbacher, PhD student in the Department of Water Quality and Health at KL Krems, was elected as the new president of the Young Water Professionals (YWP) Austria for the 2023/24 term of office. The YWP are part of the National Committee of the IWA (International Water Association) Austria and were founded to enable networking among young researchers in the water sector (< 35 years). At national level, activities such as regulars' tables, workshops, lectures or excursions facilitate exchange, while the mentoring program also enables individual contact with experts. Networking at international level with other YWP chapters worldwide in the form of conference participation or through international calls/channels is also possible.
The wish of the new YWP Executive Committee, consisting of Sophia Steinbacher (President), Lea Holzmann (Vice President), Igor Luketina, Martin Oberascher and Maja Reiner (Committee Chair), is to bring young people together, facilitate discussions and knowledge exchange and get to know each other in order to be able to utilize any future synergies. The regulars' tables in particular provide good opportunities to greet interested people and welcome new members.
You can find more information on the date and location >here.
44th IAD Conference at the KL
The 44th conference of the International Association for Danube Research (IAD), which took place at KL Krems from February 6 to 9, 2023, was a great success. A total of 101 registered participants from 12 countries in the Danube catchment area attended the 4-day conference. The conference was originally planned to be held in Kiev, but due to the political situation, it was taken over by the Department of Water Quality and Health at KL at short notice. The personal participation of five Ukrainian colleagues and three other colleagues from Ukraine, who had sent video contributions for their topics, was therefore particularly pleasing . The first day of the conference was entitled "Pollution, Global Impact & Health", to which the KL Department of Water Quality and Health and other researchers from the ICC Water & Health made a major contribution.
On the following days, the focus was on ecological aspects of the Danube, such as biodiversity, the invasion of invasive species, river management and renaturation. The great importance of cross-border cooperation between scientists in the common river basin was particularly emphasized and made visible. All information about the conference as well as the comprehensive conference book with all abstracts can still be found on the conference website of the Austrian Committee of the IAD.
Vienna Water training event as part of the KL Academy
Andreas Farnleitner and Karen Zuser from ICC Water & Health are teaching staff at the new training course "Water quality in the water supply" organized by Wiener Wasser as part of the KL Academy.
The newly designed training event will take place regularly every two years from 2022 and will cover the key quality criteria for drinking water production, treatment and distribution - from raw water to drinking water. Andreas Farnleitner and Karen Zuser from ICC Water & Health, together with Dr. Marija Zunabovic-Pichler (Water Quality Unit, Wiener Wasser), are responsible for the microbiology topic block. Harald Schmölzer (former head of the Holding Graz water laboratory) will present the physical-chemical and legal background to the topic of water quality.
Dr. Markus Werderitsch (Wiener Wasser) will discuss the operational topics - from disinfection and treatment to plant maintenance and the regulations for materials in contact with drinking water.
After a two-day practical part of the event, a joint discussion with the speakers on the future of water supply will give participants an insight into current research activities (ViWa2020+ research cooperation between the City of Vienna and the ICC Water & Health) and an outlook on future strategies in Vienna's water supply.
Impact Award - Waterquality and health
On November 17, 2022, the Society for Research Promotion Lower Austria (GFF) presented the Impact Award to doctoral students for the first time. Carmen Rehm, research assistant at Karl Landsteiner University in Krems, was awarded 1st place for her visually and content-wise outstanding poster! The awards were given to scientific projects with the highest relevance for both the scientific community and the general public.
All projects were funded by the state of Lower Austria as part of the Science Calls 2016 to 2019. Carmen Rehm was honored during the poster presentations of the ongoing research projects from the Science Calls 2018 and 2019. The ecotoxicologist and microbiologist is working on her dissertation on "Assessing the public health relevance of toxigenic and non-toxigenic Vibrio cholerae in bathing waters in Lower Austria: occurrence, distribution, diversity and potential pathogenicity" at the Department of Water Quality and Health at KL in Krems in collaboration with the Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics research group at TU Wien and the Department of Water Microbiology at the Medical University of Vienna.
Congratulations from Karl Landsteiner University!
Science in the pub
From September 19 to October 19, 2022, the "Water - Quality and Health" series of events took place at the "Mauts" inn in Mödling. After an introductory lecture entitled "Water - the building block of life" by guest speaker Prof. Gerald Obermair, the ICC Water & Health informed the interested public on four dates about various aspects of water quality and health. The topics and speakers in detail were
- "The role of hydrology in water supply" (Univ.-Prof. Dr. Paul Blaschke)
- "Water quality & health: What you should definitely know about it" (Andreas Farnleitner)
- "Bacteria in drinking water - friends or foes?" (Alexander Kirschner)
- "Water in the cycle of human use: water hygiene challenges" (Regina Sommer)
In addition to the comprehensive presentations on the four different topics, visitors to the event were able to ask detailed questions. This opportunity was also used intensively by the interested audience and the discussions lasted until late in the evening. The only downside was the limited number of visitors to - better advertising of the event by the organizers would have been desirable.
Science prizes of Lower Austria 2022
The prestigious Lower Austrian Science Awards were presented at a glittering science gala in the auditorium in Grafenegg on October 18, 2022. Three researchers from Karl Landsteiner University were honored for their outstanding scientific contributions. Italian-born Sonia Vallet, a practicing oncologist at Krems University Hospital and teaching staff and researcher at KL, was awarded the appreciation prize for her commitment in the field of cancer research. Vallet is researching the development of new therapeutic approaches to breast cancer and certain forms of leukemia as well as the causes of bone metastasis. Juliane Burghardt, who holds a doctorate in psychology and works in the Department of Clinical Psychology at the Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, was also honored for her essay in which she advocates the quality rather than quantity of research results. In addition to the traditional awards of appreciation and recognition, the "Science Future Prize" for young researchers was also awarded in several categories. Claudia Kolm, post-doc and researcher in the Department of Water Quality and Health at KL, was honored as one of 4 young researchers at the beginning of their scientific career. Claudia Kolm impressed the jury with her dissertation, in which she focused on the development of reliable and at the same time cost-effective rapid test methods that should make it possible to detect bacterial contamination in water bodies more quickly in the future.
The researcher is thus making a significant contribution to improved water hygiene and the global implementation of adequate protection against infection in the drinking water supply in accordance with the WHO.
Jochen Danninger, State Councillor for Economics and Technology, congratulated her on behalf of Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner and emphasized: "Science needs role models just as much as we celebrate them in sport or the music industry. People who act as role models, who we look up to and whose successes we emulate. People who inspire us for science."
The awards confirm KL's strategic course in the further expansion of internationally competitive, translational and clinical research in defined key areas of health sciences and human medicine - at in the socially highly relevant fields of oncology, psychology and water quality and health, among others. Karl Landsteiner University warmly congratulates the award winners Sonia Vallet, Juliane Burghardt and Claudia Kolm!
You can read more about the topic > here.
Department of Water Quality and Health - Think-MINT!
Sophia Steinbacher, PhD student in the KL Department of Water Quality and Health, supports the Think-MINT campaign to get more girls interested in mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology.
The joint project "Think-MINT! - Girls want Knowledge" project by the Federal Ministry for Women, Family, Youth and Integration and Science Pool encourages girls and young women to pursue educational paths in STEM subjects. Sophia Steinbacher has made herself available for the project to illustrate her path into science.
Her presentation and the presentations of other young female scientists can be viewed > here.
ICC & Long Night of Research
The ICC Water & Health, represented by the Department of Water Quality and Health at KL as well as the other working groups at MedUni Vienna and TU Vienna, delighted the inquisitive public at the Long Night of Research on May 20, 2022. KL was represented at the ICC stand by Sophia Steinbacher, Domenico Savio, Carmen Rehm and Melanie Leopold, who were on hand to answer visitors' questions. Questions such as "Why is bathing water not drinking water?", "Who made the water?" and "Protection against infection when bathing and drinking - how can models help here?" were answered expertly and with great enthusiasm and commitment by our employees and presented using clear and tangible models.
These ranged from a homemade DNA model, agar plates overgrown with colonies, oversized plush bacteria and replica landscape models to digital groundwater models on the computer screen. Not only in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic, it is also important in the water sector to clear up myths and half-knowledge among the population and, above all, to inspire young and old alike for water research!
How to detect microorganisms in water
The fascinating new possibilities of microbiological methods and molecular diagnostics in the water sector are the focus of a specialist conference and several publications by ÖWAV, the Austrian Water and Waste Management Association. The Department of Water Quality and Health makes a decisive contribution to the ICC Water & Health with many scientific articles and lectures. In the penultimate issue of the Springer journal "Österreichische Wasser- und Abfallwirtschaft" (ÖWAW 2021/11-12), in addition to a general editorial on the new methods, technical articles on microbial source tracking with molecular biological methods for hydraulic modeling of microbiological water quality and for determining the microbiological stability of groundwater with cultivation-independent methods were reported by our team. In addition, colleagues from the University of Vienna and the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences provided articles on simple methods for the microbial-ecological characterization and assessment of
groundwater ecosystems and for the flow cytometric analysis of bacterial communities in drinking water. All these new methods will be presented to a broad specialist audience at the ÖWAV symposium "Microbiology and water: What DNA and RNA analysis can already do for us" on June 14, 2022 in Vienna. As part of this symposium, the working aid 52/Part 2 on the topic, which has been developed in the ÖWAV "Microbiology and Water" expert committee in recent years, will also be presented with illustrative practical examples from the fields of hygiene, technology and the environment. Special attention will also be paid to the topic of wastewater-based epidemiology (RNA detection of SARS-CoV-2), which contributes to the early detection and estimation of COVID-19 infections in the population. Further details can be found on the ÖWAV website.
Waterquality & Health BM10 NEW successfully held
The Bachelor's degree module BM10 "Microbiology and Hygiene" was recently successfully held at the KL with the first-time participation of the Department of Water Quality and Health of the Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Microbiology and placed on a new and broader basis in terms of content. The cooperation with the Institute of Hygiene and Medical Microbiology at St. Pölten University Hospital worked "like clockwork" and the students were highly motivated. The comprehensive theoretical foundation of environmental microbiology, general hygiene, established and the latest methods of microbiology such as cytometry and microbiome sequencing through to clinical microbiology and hospital hygiene encouraged the students to apply the theoretical knowledge they had acquired in the practical part of the course.
Quantifying Escherichia coli bacteria in wastewater and even our own stool, isolating them as pure cultures, microscoping them and testing them for possible antibiotic resistance was a highly exciting experience for everyone and brought many a surprising result to light. At the final wrap-up, all the results were compiled and discussed in detail in the overall context of environmental microbiology and clinical microbiology. Students with a particular interest in the topic will have the opportunity to deepen their knowledge in this important environmental hygiene field of water quality and health in May as part of the BM12 elective "Water Quality and Health".
14,000 visitors at the Vienna Research Festival at City Hall - ICC and WQ & G were there!
Our ICC Water & Health including our KL Department of Water Quality and Health at KL was represented at the Vienna Research Festival 2025 with a highly visible stand as one of only 30 selected exhibitors in the ballroom of Vienna City Hall. With many topics relating to our No. 1 foodstuff, drinking water, we were able to provide interested visitors with comprehensive information, from hydrology with film and column experiments, the daily water requirement (3-dimensional), the various sources of contamination and pathogens, the structure of bacterial cells, cultivation of bacteria and bacteriophages, pilot plant for UV disinfection of water, molecular biological detection of microorganisms, a game for faecal origin determination and a final quiz to test what has been learned. The interest and interaction with young and old was enormous, and the crowds were huge.
All in all, it was a great advertisement for our Inter-University Cooperation Centre Water & Health. Our thanks go to the entire core team, including the highly active knowledge mediators and set-up/dismantling helpers from KL Sophia Steinbacher and Theresa Hohl.