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To optimise maternal and infant health outcomes, Australian antenatal care providers and services need to incorporate both the recommendation and delivery of influenza vaccination into routine antenatal care.

Stabilised wastewater sludge (biosolids) has beneficial re-use properties but these are limited by the presence of human pathogens. In this study soil amendment with biosolids and storage of biosolids prior to re-use were examined as disposal and treatment options. In a soil amendment trial biosolids were mixed with sandy soil and monitored for 37 weeks. In two storage trials biosolids were stored in piles 1m high and monitored for <60 weeks. Included in the monitoring programme were tests to determine the concentrations of faecal coliforms, faecal streptococci and salmonellae. In both the soil amendment trials and biosolids storage trials, concentrations of indicator organisms and salmonellae decreased through an extended hot, dry summer period. Although these organisms were not detected in the majority of samples taken during the summer, repopulation of faecal coliforms and salmonellae occurred in the trials following rainfall at the beginning of the winter. In the case of one of the storage trials repopulation occurred following a period of 50 weeks when salmonellae and faecal coliforms were not detected. When repopulation occurred, faecal coliform concentrations increased to higher than those at the beginning of the trials. These results suggest that faecal coliforms and salmonellae were at undetectable concentrations through the summer period but were able to grow when provided with favourable conditions. From this limited trial it was concluded that soil amended with biosolids could not be considered free from pathogens for at least one year following amendment.

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In order to select a suitable indicator for monitoring the pathogen regrowth potential of composted biosolids, the growth kinetics of selected bacteria were investigated. Growth parameters of six serovars of Salmonella and three strains of Escherichia coli in sterilized compost were compared. Seeded Salmonella and E. coli grew rapidly, reaching population densities of more than 108 g−1 after 30 h of incubation. The specific growth rates of Salmonella serovars and E. coli strains were similar and varied from 0·49 to 0·55 h−1. The specific growth rate of the Salm. Typhimurium isolates was significantly higher than the other bacterial strains. It was concluded that an antibiotic‐resistant strain of Salm. Typhimurium can be used as an indicator for a pathogen regrowth potential test.

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The pour plate method with yeast extract agar and a 3 d incubation period is the standard method in the UK for the enumeration of heterotrophic bacteria in drinking water. We have compared the standard method with other procedures using the spread plate technique, R2A medium and a longer incubation period. The R2A spread plate method with a 7 d incubation period gave an average estimate of bacterial numbers 520 times greater than for the standard method. This alternative method is recommended for obtaining a more accurate estimate of heterotrophic bacterial populations in drinking water.