Over the past 15 years, pioneering interdisciplinary research has been performed on the microbiology of hydrogeologically well‐defined alpine karst springs located in the Northern Calcareous Alps (NCA) of Austria. This article gives an overview on these activities and links them to other relevant research. Results from the NCA springs and comparable sites revealed that spring water harbors abundant natural microbial communities even in aquifers with high water residence times and the absence of immediate surface influence. Apparently, hydrogeology has a strong impact on the concentration and size of the observed microbes, and total cell counts (TCC) were suggested as a useful means for spring type classification. Measurement of microbial activities at the NCA springs revealed extremely low microbial growth rates in the base flow component of the studied spring waters and indicated the importance of biofilm‐associated microbial activities in sediments and on rock surfaces. Based on genetic analysis, the autochthonous microbial endokarst community (AMEC) versus transient microbial endokarst community (TMEC) concept was proposed for the NCA springs, and further details within this overview article are given to prompt its future evaluation. In this regard, it is well known that during high‐discharge situations, surface‐associated microbes and nutrients such as from soil habitats or human settlements—potentially containing fecal‐associated pathogens as the most critical water‐quality hazard—may be rapidly flushed into vulnerable karst aquifers. In this context, a framework for the comprehensive analysis of microbial pollution has been proposed for the NCA springs to support the sustainable management of drinking water safety in accordance with recent World Health Organization guidelines. Near‐real‐time online water quality monitoring, microbial source tracking (MST) and MST‐guided quantitative microbial‐risk assessment (QMRA) are examples of the proposed analytical tools. In this context, this overview article also provides a short introduction to recently emerging methodologies in microbiological diagnostics to support reading for the practitioner. Finally, the article highlights future research and development needs.

中文翻译：

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打开高山喀斯特含水层的泉水微生物学黑匣子，以支持积极的饮用水资源管理。

在过去的15年中，对位于奥地利北部钙质阿尔卑斯山（NCA）的水文地质学明确的高山喀斯特温泉的微生物学进行了开创性的跨学科研究。本文概述了这些活动，并将它们与其他相关研究联系起来。NCA泉水和类似地点的结果表明，即使在水停留时间长且没有直接地表影响的含水层中，泉水也蕴藏着丰富的天然微生物群落。显然，水文地质学对观察到的微生物的浓度和大小有很大影响，总细胞数（TCC）被认为是春季类型分类的有用手段。在NCA春季对微生物活动的测量表明，在研究的泉水的基流成分中，微生物的生长速率极低，并表明了沉积物和岩石表面与生物膜相关的微生物活动的重要性。在遗传分析的基础上，提出了NCA弹簧的本地微生物内生岩溶群落（AMEC）与瞬时微生物内生岩溶群落（TMEC）的概念，并在此概述文章中提供了更多详细信息，以促进其未来的评估。在这方面，众所周知，在高排放情况下，与表面相关的微生物和养分，例如来自土壤栖息地或人类住区的微生物（可能含有与粪便相关的病原体，是最严重的水质危害），可能会迅速冲入脆弱的喀斯特含水层。在这种情况下，已经为NCA弹簧提议了一个微生物污染综合分析的框架，以根据世界卫生组织的最新指南支持饮用水安全的可持续管理。拟议的分析工具包括近实时在线水质监测，微生物源跟踪（MST）和MST指导的定量微生物风险评估（QMRA）。在这种情况下，这篇概述文章还简要介绍了微生物诊断中最近出现的方法，以支持从业者阅读。最后，本文重点介绍了未来的研发需求。