Expert Interview: Real-Time Microbial Monitoring of Karst Springs Using Automated Flow Cytometry
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
In a recent publication in Clean Water, researchers from TU Wien and the Medical University of Vienna evaluated automated near-real-time flow cytometry at an alpine karst spring used for drinking water supply.
We spoke with Dr. Lena Campostrini, who led the investigations as part of her PhD research, about the challenges of monitoring dynamic karst systems and what the findings mean for drinking water utilities.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and explain why these springs matter?
In June 2025, I finished my PhD at the Medical University of Vienna. I worked in Prof. Alexander Kirschner's group, Water Microbiology, which is part of the university-spanning Interuniversity Cooperation Centre ICC Water and Health. During my investigations, I explored the applicability of new tools to assess the microbiological quality of drinking water. Part of my research focused on alpine karst springs, which are a crucial drinking water resource: Globally, about 10% of people rely on karst systems for their drinking water. In Austria, around half of the population depends on alpine karst aquifers.
What was the main objective of your study?
Together with my colleagues, Katalin Demeter and Prof. Andreas Farnleitner from TU Wien and Karl Landsteiner University Krems, we aimed to evaluate whether automated, near-real-time flow cytometry can be used as a reliable on-site monitoring tool at an alpine karst spring used for drinking water supply.
Why are alpine karst springs so challenging to monitor?
Karst springs are often found in remote locations and many of them are highly dynamic systems that can change rapidly. After precipitation events, water and potential contaminants can move quickly through the system, making near-real-time monitoring essential for timely decision-making.
How did automated flow cytometry help?
As opposed to traditional microbiological methods, automated flow cytometry provides near-real-time microbial data directly on site. Our results show that it can indicate microbial inputs from the catchment surface, complementing existing abiotic monitoring parameters.
Was there a moment when the system revealed something unexpected?
During one of the six precipitation events, we observed a clear increase in total and intact microbial cells that was not obvious or delayed in abiotic parameters such as turbidity (detecting particles) or UV254 (detecting organic matter). This is especially interesting because E. coli concentrations (detecting faecal pollution) peaked at the same time as total and intact microbial cells, highlighting the added value of the complementary use of flow cytometry for detecting microbiological changes. Moreover, when applying machine learning tools for pollution forecasting, models including FCM derived parameters provided the highest predictive power.
What did combining long-term and high-frequency data reveal?
It showed how important it is to understand the individual hydrological behavior of each karst system. The low-frequency long-term monitoring revealed seasonal patterns in spring hydrology and contamination, while the high-frequency data added insights on the rapid changes during summer contamination events. Combining long-term monitoring with targeted high-frequency campaigns helps optimize economic and temporal resources while still ensuring a thorough understanding of the karst system, including short-term contamination events.
What does this mean for water utilities?
At the specific spring we investigated: Flow cytometry can meaningfully complement existing monitoring approaches, supporting more targeted sampling, better risk assessment, and informed decisions on spring water management.
What do you hope this research will inspire next?
We hope it encourages further development of automated faecal indicator and viral detection methods that can also operate in near-real time.
That would be a major step forward for proactive, predictive drinking water monitoring.
About the publication
The full peer-reviewed study is published in Clean Water (Nature Portfolio).
About the technology
The automated flow cytometry system evaluated in this study is implemented in the BactoSense platform for on-site microbial monitoring.
Interested?
Interested in learning more about automated flow cytometry for drinking water applications?