Abstract
Regnier and Park1 do not appear fully to have appreciated the significant point that emerged from my finding2 that much higher concentrations of antibiotic-resistant and sensitive coliform organisms were present in specimens of water taken from rivers flowing through urban areas than were present in similar specimens taken from rivers flowing through rural areas. This is that human beings were the main source of the sewage pollution of the rivers and that domestic animals were a comparatively unimportant source. The fact that one cannot differentiate the two kinds of specimens from each other by reference to the ratio of the numbers of resistant and sensitive organisms they contain is therefore irrelevant.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
References
Regnier, A. P., and Park, R. W. A., Nature, 239, 408 (1972).
Smith, H. W., Nature, 228, 1286 (1970).
Smith, H. W., Nature, 234, 155 (1971).
Report, J. Hyg. Camb., 57, 435 (1959).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
WILLIAMS SMITH, H. Pollution of Beaches: Reply to Regnier and Park. Nature 242, 276 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1038/242276a0
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/242276a0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.