Microbial Source Tracking (MST), also called Faecal Source Tracking, is a means of identifying the source, human or animal, of faecal pollution in water (surface waters, groundwaters, coastal waters).  With animals it is sometimes possible to identify the type of animal (e.g., pig, cow, sheep, etc.) causing the pollution.
    MST is useful in identifying the source(s) of pollution during an epidemic, and also in pollution control programmes in river basins (for example, identification of pollution due to treated wastewater discharges and/or agricultural run-off).

Book: Microbial Source Tracking (ASM Press, 2007)

All faeces are not equal: microbial source tracking as a health protection tool (Water21, 2007)

Cross-validation of detection methods for pathogens and fecal indicators (whole issue of Water Research, November 2009)

Identifying Sources of Fecal Pollution (whole issue of Water Research, August 2007 − includes two reviews)

Performance, design, and analysis in microbial source tracking studies (AEM, 2007)

Source tracking fecal bacteria in water: a critical review of current methods (J. Env. Mgt, 2004)

Microbial Source Tracking (whole issue of Journal of Water & Health, 2003 − free access to pdf files)

Microbial source tracking: current methodology and future directions (Applied & Environmental Microbiology, 2002 − free access)

Faecal Source Tracking (webpage of the Environment and Public Health Research Unit, School of the Environment, University of Brighton)

Bacteriological methods for distinguishing between human and animal faecal pollution of water: results of fieldwork in Nigeria and Zimbabwe. (Bull. WHO, 1985 − free access)