This article is part of the supplement: Proceedings of the Centers for Oceans and Human Health Investigators Meeting .

Proceedings

The coastal environment and human health: microbial indicators, pathogens, sentinels and reservoirs

Jill R Stewart¹ , Rebecca J Gast² , Roger S Fujioka³ , Helena M Solo-Gabriele⁴ , J Scott Meschke⁵ , Linda A Amaral-Zettler⁶ , Erika del Castillo⁶ , Martin F Polz⁷ , Tracy K Collier⁸ , Mark S Strom⁸ , Christopher D Sinigalliano^9,10 , Peter DR Moeller¹ and A Fredrick Holland¹

¹  Hollings Marine Laboratory, NOAA National Ocean Service, Charleston, SC 29412, USA

²  Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole Center for Oceans and Human Health, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA

³  Water Resources Research Center, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA

⁴  Rosenstiel School for Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Miami, Miami, Florida 33149, USA

⁵  Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105-6099, USA

⁶  The Josephine Bay Paul Center for Comparative Molecular Biology and Evolution, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole Center for Oceans and Human Health, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA

⁷  Civil and Environmental Engineering, MIT, Woods Hole Center for Oceans and Human Health, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

⁸  Northwest Fisheries Science Center, NOAA Fisheries, Seattle, WA 98112, USA

⁹  Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, Miami, FL 33149, USA

¹⁰  Cooperative Institute of Marine and Atmospheric Studies, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33149, USA

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Environmental Health 2008, 7(Suppl 2):S3doi:10.1186/1476-069X-7-S2-S3

Published:	7 November 2008

Abstract

Innovative research relating oceans and human health is advancing our understanding of disease-causing organisms in coastal ecosystems. Novel techniques are elucidating the loading, transport and fate of pathogens in coastal ecosystems, and identifying sources of contamination. This research is facilitating improved risk assessments for seafood consumers and those who use the oceans for recreation. A number of challenges still remain and define future directions of research and public policy. Sample processing and molecular detection techniques need to be advanced to allow rapid and specific identification of microbes of public health concern from complex environmental samples. Water quality standards need to be updated to more accurately reflect health risks and to provide managers with improved tools for decision-making. Greater discrimination of virulent versus harmless microbes is needed to identify environmental reservoirs of pathogens and factors leading to human infections. Investigations must include examination of microbial community dynamics that may be important from a human health perspective. Further research is needed to evaluate the ecology of non-enteric water-transmitted diseases. Sentinels should also be established and monitored, providing early warning of dangers to ecosystem health. Taken together, this effort will provide more reliable information about public health risks associated with beaches and seafood consumption, and how human activities can affect their exposure to disease-causing organisms from the oceans.