<p>The CSIR Microbiology and Parasitology Laboratory has played a key role in the development of wastewater-based epidemiology disease tracking and monitoring approaches during the Covid-19 pandemic. This added to the laboratory’s reputation, acquired over more than two decades, as a specialised and reliable provider of tests for niche waterborne pathogens. The facility focuses on niche waterborne microbes, like viruses and parasites, that require specialised equipment and approaches.</p>

<p>Disease-causing microbes are often spread through water, with cholera bacteria thriving in environmental waters (like rivers and lakes) when conditions favour the bacteria, and certain parasites and viruses being prevalent in wastewaters. It is therefore imperative that water resources are regularly tested, to make sure that these infective microbes are absent and pose no risk to water users.</p>