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Open research questions in Fecal contamination and water quality

88 gap statements mined from Fecal contamination and water quality papers in our 4.5M-paper local library, which holds 495 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • The study had to contend with the limited availability of safe water in the region. The study had to overcome the challenge of ensuring the representativeness of the study samples.

    Tracing the water–beef safety nexus: assessing water quality’s role in beef contamination from slaughterhouse to plate, in Southwest Ethiopia · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a need for studies to assess the bacteriological quality of water used for hygiene and sanitation practices during beef processing in the region.

    Tracing the water–beef safety nexus: assessing water quality’s role in beef contamination from slaughterhouse to plate, in Southwest Ethiopia · 2026 · DOI

  • The magnitude of biochar's regulatory effect is specific to the 1% (w/w) crop-residue biochar employed; variations in feedstock, pyrolysis temperature, and dosage will inevitably alter physicochemical properties and modulate the pump's efficiency, requiring further investigation.

    Biochar-regulated transport of weakly hydrophobic antibiotics between macropore and matrix domains in structured soil · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of regular monitoring of water sources may lead to undetected contamination, posing serious health risks. There is a need for comprehensive assessments of water quality and microbial contamination in institutional water resources.

    Assessment of water quality and microbial contamination in institutional water resources: a necessity to understand health risks · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of pre-flood baseline data limits accurate estimation of the extent of changes caused by extreme hydrological phenomena. Limited temporal monitoring and methodological constraints are also identified as limitations.

    Microbial Hazards in Post-Flood Soils – An Overview · 2026 · DOI

  • Research on the microbiological safety of flood-affected areas is essential. Studies on the impact of floods on soil environments should be conducted. The development of universal guidelines for food safety after flooding is needed.

    Microbial Hazards in Post-Flood Soils – An Overview · 2026 · DOI

  • Lack of proper disposal of abattoir waste. Environmental pollution due to abattoir effluents.

    Microbiological Evaluation of Soil and Wastewater from Major Abattoir Sites in Umuahia, Abia State · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of proper treatment of abattoir effluents leads to environmental pollution. There is a need to assess the impact of abattoir effluent on soil microbial communities.

    Microbiological Evaluation of Soil and Wastewater from Major Abattoir Sites in Umuahia, Abia State · 2026 · DOI

  • While the route of chronic contamination remains unclear, identifying its sources and understanding E. This temporal association with rainfall may reflect CSO-related inputs as well as other sources of fecal contamination, such as runoff from domestic animals or wildlife, but the relative contributions of these sources could not be determined in the present study.

    The potential role of Escherichia coli as an indicator of environmental antimicrobial resistance in an urban river in Japan · 2026 · DOI

  • The study suggests that future research should focus on the development of effective wastewater management and remediation strategies. The study suggests that future research should investigate the risks associated with PPCPs in other aquatic environments.

    Occurrence, distribution and risk assessment of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in Djibouti aquifer · 2026 · DOI

  • The study highlights the need for further research on the occurrence, distribution, and risks of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in Djibouti's aquifer.

    Occurrence, distribution and risk assessment of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in Djibouti aquifer · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a need to understand the prevalence of pathogenic and ESBL-producing Escherichia coli in wastewater-impacted rivers. The study aims to address this gap by investigating the prevalence of these pathogens in seven rivers.

    A public health concern regarding the widespread presence of pathogenic and ESBL-producing Escherichia coli in wastewater-impacted rivers in the Limpopo province of South Africa · 2026 · DOI

  • Limited understanding of the risks associated with water storage in tanks. Difficulty in maintaining proper water quality in laboratories.

    BACTERIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF WATER FROM TANKS IN VARIOUS LABORATORIES OF FEDERAL UNIVERSITY DUTSIN-MA, KATSINA STATE, NIGERIA · 2026 · DOI

  • An important limitation of this study involves the biofilm characterization, which is restricted to only AFDM, providing an estimate of total organic biomass but does not capture compositional or functional dimensions of the biofilm.

    Pesticide removal by fluvial biofilms in lowland streams under different land uses and agricultural seasons · 2026 · DOI

  • The study faces challenges in terms of small sample size and limited generalizability. The removal of opportunistic pathogens in wastewater treatment systems is a complex challenge. The study must consider the factors influencing the persistence of opportunistic pathogens in wastewater treatment systems.

    Persistence of viable opportunistic pathogens in a multi-stage natural wastewater treatment system · 2026 · DOI

  • The environmental dimension of antimicrobial resistance is underexplored. There is a lack of understanding of the contributions of hospitals to antimicrobial contamination at the watershed scale.

    Mass Flux Analysis Reveals the Presence and Fate of Antimicrobials in Hospital Effluent, Wastewater Treatment Plant, and River Environments · 2026 · DOI

  • The study highlights the need for effective management strategies to address water quality issues.

    Influence of Physico-Chemical and Microbiological Water-Quality Variables on Aquaculture Species: A Vaal River Case Study (Gauteng, South Africa) · 2026 · DOI

  • The research highlights the need for management strategies and mitigation measures to address water quality issues.

    Influence of Physico-Chemical and Microbiological Water-Quality Variables on Aquaculture Species: A Vaal River Case Study (Gauteng, South Africa) · 2026 · DOI

  • The study identifies a gap in environmental surveillance in low-resource settings, where wastewater-based epidemiology may not be feasible. The study highlights the need for alternative matrices for environmental surveillance, such as soils adjacent to public waste bins.

    Enteric pathogens in soil adjacent to public waste bins in Maputo, Mozambique offers potential for environmental surveillance · 2026 · DOI

  • This study focused on single-cycle mechanisms; while parallel long-term field monitoring confirms the BSP effect persists under complex wetting-drying conditions, its efficiency is modulated by structural evolution, warranting deeper investigation of these temporal dynamics.

    Biochar-regulated transport of weakly hydrophobic antibiotics between macropore and matrix domains in structured soil · 2026 · DOI

  • There is no effective method for complete sanitization of sludge. The study aims to evaluate the effect of alkaline treatments on the sanitization of biosolids.

    Assessment of the effect of alkaline additives for hygienization and inactivation of bacteria indicator and helminth eggs in faecal sludge · 2026 · DOI

  • Limited community-scale groundwater surveillance and management.

    GROUNDWATER QUALITY AND SANITARY DISTANCE COMPLIANCE IN PERI-URBAN BAUCHI, NIGERIA: GWALLAMEJI AND YELWAN-TUDU COMPARED · 2026 · DOI

  • The sample size was limited to 15 water samples from 5 laboratories.

    BACTERIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF WATER FROM TANKS IN VARIOUS LABORATORIES OF FEDERAL UNIVERSITY DUTSIN-MA, KATSINA STATE, NIGERIA · 2026 · DOI

  • Based on recommendations are proposed: the findings of this study, the following conduct Routine water quality monitoring: Regulatory agencies should and microbiological assessments of drinking water sources to ensure compliance with WHO and Nigerian drinking-water quality standards.

    Public Health Risks Associated with Physicochemical and Microbiological Contamination of Drinking Water Sources in Akure Metropolis, Southwestern Nigeria · 2026 · DOI

  • These measures, to a greater extent, will significantly reduce the risk of waterborne diseases and enhance access to safe and sustainable drinking water in the rural settlements of the study area.

    Dynamic Distribution of Physicochemical and Bacteriological Characteristics of Water Samples from Water Supply Sources in Rural Settlements of Ibarapa East Local Government Area, Oyo State, Nigeria · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Fecal contamination and water quality

Most recent work

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) There is a need for studies to assess the bacteriological quality of water used for hygiene and sanitation practices during beef processing in the region (“Tracing the water–beef safety nexus: assessing water quality’s role in beef…”, 2026); (2) The lack of regular monitoring of water sources may lead to undetected contamination, posing serious health risks (“Assessment of water quality and microbial contamination in institutional water…”, 2026); (3) The lack of pre-flood baseline data limits accurate estimation of the extent of changes caused by extreme hydrological phenomena (“Microbial Hazards in Post-Flood Soils – An Overview”, 2026); (4) The lack of proper treatment of abattoir effluents leads to environmental pollution (“Microbiological Evaluation of Soil and Wastewater from Major Abattoir Sites in…”, 2026); (5) The study suggests that future research should focus on the development of effective wastewater management and remediation strategies (“Occurrence, distribution and risk assessment of pharmaceuticals and personal…”, 2026). 88 gap statements have been mined from Fecal contamination and water quality papers in our 4.5M-paper local library, which holds 495 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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