Table 1.
Enumeration of microbial indicators and prevalence of foodborne pathogens in water used to irrigate fresh produce in Europe.
| Country | Produce | Water Source | Microorganisms | Average cfu/100 mL | Prevalence | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | Strawberry | Groundwater | STEC | − | 0/22 | Delbeke et al., 2015 |
| E. coli spp. | 1 | 4/22 | ||||
| Rainfall water collected in ponds | STEC | − | 11/56 | |||
| E. coli spp. | 40–45 | 40/56 | ||||
| Belgium | Lettuce | Rainfall water collected in open wells and bore hole water | STEC | − | 6/68 | Holvoet et al., 2014 |
| Campylobacter spp. | − | 37/120 | ||||
| Salmonella spp. | − | 1/68 | ||||
| E. coli spp. | 30–35 | 90/120 | ||||
| Spain | Baby spinach | Surface water collected in water reservoirs | STEC | − | 0/50 | Castro-Ibañez et al., 2015 |
| Salmonella spp. | − | 1/50 | ||||
| E. coli spp. | 5–10 | 72/250 | ||||
| Spain | Tomatoes | Surface water | STEC | − | 0/16 | López-Gálvez et al., 2014 |
| Salmonella spp. | − | 1/16 | ||||
| E. coli spp. | 20–25 | 6/32 | ||||
| Listeria spp. | 30–35 | 26/30 | ||||
| Reclaimed water | STEC | − | 0/16 | |||
| Salmonella spp. | − | 2/16 | ||||
| E. coli spp. | 240–280 | 31/32 | ||||
| Listeria spp. | 350–400 | 26/30 | ||||
| Italy | Tomatoes | Tap water | E. coli spp. | − | 0/30 | Forslund et al., 2012 |
| Reclaimed water | E. coli spp. | 10,300 | 11/30 | |||
| Crete | Tomatoes | Tap water | E. coli spp. | 400 | 2/31 | |
| Reclaimed water | E. coli spp. | 596 | 4/31 |