Human exposure assessment to antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli through drinking water

Highlights: • Exposure to antibiotic-resistant E. coli was between 3.44 × 10^{− 7} and 2.95 × 10⁻¹ cfu/da. • UV treatment gave the largest reduction of antibiotic-resistant E. coli. • Model can be used to set possible monitoring criteria in pre-treated water. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) are a potential threat to human health through drinking water with strong evidence of ARB presence in post treated tap water around the world. This study examines potential human exposure to antibiotic-resistant (AR) Escherichia coli (E. coli) through drinking water, the effect of different drinking water treatments on AR E. coli and the concentration of AR E. coli required in the source water for the EU Drinking Water Directive (DWD) (Council Directive 98/83/EC, 0 CFU/100 ml of E. coli in drinking water) to be exceeded. A number of scenarios were evaluated to examine different water treatment combinations and to reflect site specific conditions at a study site in Europe. A literature search was carried out to collate data on the effect of environmental conditions on AR E. coli, the effect of different water treatments on AR E. coli and typical human consumption levels of tap water. A human exposure assessment model was developed with probability distributions used to characterise uncertainty and variability in the input data. Overall results show the mean adult human exposure to AR E. coli from tap water consumption ranged between 3.44 × 10^–7 and 2.95 × 10^–1cfu/day for the scenarios tested and varied depending on the water treatments used. The level of AR E. coli required in the source water pre-treatment to exceed the DWD varied between 1 and 5 log cfu/ml, depending on the water treatments used. This can be used to set possible monitoring criteria in pre-treated water for potential ARB exposure in drinking water.