Knowledge and regulation on fungal contamination of sand and water: progress report and perspectives

Abstract

Fungal flora in coastal/inland beach sand and recreational water is a neglected field of study, despite its potential impact on human health. A joint ISHAM/ECMM working group was formed in 2019 with the task to set up a vast international initiative aimed at studying the fungal contamination of beaches and bathing waters. Here we review the importance of the topic, and list the main results and achievements from 12 scientific publications. Fungal contamination exists at different levels and the genera most frequently found were Aspergillus spp., Candida spp., Fusarium spp. and Cryptococcus spp., both in sand and in water. A site-blind median was found to be 89 Colony-Forming Units (CFU) of fungi per gram of sand in coastal/inland freshwaters. This threshold is now included in national standards (Portugal Blue Flag Sand). Additionally, our data was considered pivotal and therefore used for the first inclusion of Fungi as a biological taxon of interest in water quality and sand monitoring recommendations of the World Health Organization's new guidelines on recreational water quality (Vol.1-Chapt.7). The findings of the consortium also suggest how environmental conditions (climate, salinity, soil pH, nitrogen…) influence microbial communities in different regions, and that yeast species like Candida glabrata, Clavispora lusitaniae, and Meyerozyma guilliermondii have been identified as potential fungal indicators of fecal contamination. Climate change and natural disasters may affect fungal populations in different environments and because this is still a field of study under exploration, we also propose to depict the future challenges of research and unmet needs.