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Sand quality on Portuguese blue flagged beaches

2026-05Artigo científico Acesso aberto
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dc.contributor.authorSilva, Ana Margarida
dc.contributor.authorSarioglou, Konstantina
dc.contributor.authorSilva, Susana
dc.contributor.authorViegas, Carla
dc.contributor.authorRibeiro, Edna
dc.contributor.authorRebelo, Maria Teresa
dc.contributor.authorBrandão, João
dc.contributor.institutionLaboratório Associado de Translacção e Inovação para a Saúde Global - LA Real (Pólo ENSP)
dc.contributor.institutionComprehensive Health Research Centre (CHRC) - Pólo ENSP
dc.contributor.institutionCentro de Investigação em Saúde Pública (CISP/PHRC)
dc.contributor.institutionEscola Nacional de Saúde Pública (ENSP)
dc.contributor.pblMDPI AG
dc.date.accessioned2026-06-12T14:10:01Z
dc.date.available2026-06-12T14:10:01Z
dc.date.issued2026-05
dc.descriptionPublisher Copyright: © 2026 by the authors.
dc.description.abstractThere is growing concern about the quality of sand on beaches, as users tend to spend most of their time on the sand rather than in the water. Numerous pathogenic agents have reportedly been isolated from sand, including bacteria, nematodes and opportunistic fungi. The ability of sand to retain pollutants and facilitate the transmission of pathogens raises public health concerns. We analysed sand-monitoring data from the 2024 and 2025 bathing seasons on Blue Flag beaches to find trends and patterns in total fungal counts, enterococci, and E. coli. The values recorded for microorganisms showed considerable variability, which may reflect the possible combined influence of multiple climatic, environmental, and anthropogenic factors contributing to their presence in beach sand. Our findings suggest that the total fungal count on coastal beaches may be influenced by periods of rainfall, which increases the fungal load in the sand. Values recorded from inland beaches vary considerably between beaches which may reflect the influence of local environmental characteristics, particularly vegetation and beach morphology, although the smaller number of inland samples also makes it difficult to define clear patterns and consistent reference values for this parameter. Bacterial indicators may be particularly influenced by occasional anthropogenic disturbances and contamination events. This study adds significantly to the understanding of the microbiological quality of beach sand, encouraging the integration of sand monitoring into environmental surveillance and management programmes.en
dc.description.versionpublishersversion
dc.description.versionpublished
dc.format.extent1436211
dc.identifier.doi10.3390/microorganisms14051043
dc.identifier.issn2076-2607
dc.identifier.otherPURE: 164601440
dc.identifier.otherPURE UUID: 1cddf00f-e730-40d0-be34-3b2aa336a104
dc.identifier.otherScopus: 105039993093
dc.identifier.otherPubMed: 42197429
dc.identifier.otherPubMedCentral: PMC13210291
dc.identifier.otherWOS: 001775059700001
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10362/203762
dc.identifier.urlhttps://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105039993093
dc.language.isoeng
dc.peerreviewedyes
dc.subjectbeach sand
dc.subjectE. coli
dc.subjectenterococci
dc.subjectfungi
dc.subjectmonitoring
dc.subjectMicrobiology
dc.subjectMicrobiology (medical)
dc.subjectVirology
dc.subjectSDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
dc.titleSand quality on Portuguese blue flagged beachesen
dc.title.subtitlefungal and faecal contamination across two bathing seasonsen
dc.typejournal article
degois.publication.issue5
degois.publication.titleMicroorganisms
degois.publication.volume14
dspace.entity.typePublication
rcaap.rightsopenAccess

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