Abstract
Balneotherapy is an ancient practice which remains commonplace throughout the world due to perceived health benefits that include relief of arthritis, fibromyalgia and relaxation. However, bathing environments are not sterile and natural spring waters may harbour natural microbial populations that include potential pathogens. We elucidated the microbial community from water taken from the borehole, pre-filter water (chlorinated, cold and post-bathing water) and post-filter water at a commercial Australian natural hot spring bathing facility. Thiobacillus, Sphingobium and Agrobacterium were the predominant genera in samples collected from the borehole. The predominant genera changed to Sphingobium, Parvibaculum and Achromobacter following chloride treatment and Azospira replaced the Achromobacter once the water reached ambient temperature and was stored ready to be used by bathers. The microbial community changed again following use by bathers, dominated by Pseudomonas, although Sphingobium persisted. No total or faecal coliforms were observed in any of the samples except for the post-bathing water; even there, their presence was at very low concentration (2.3 cfu/mL). These results confirm the lack of pathogens present in these hot spring waters but also suggests that good management of post-bathing water is required especially if the water is used for borehole water recharge.
Highlights
Balneotherapy, the practice of therapeutic bathing in hot springs and thermal waters, is an ancient practice that is still very common around the world; some of the advantages attributed to this practice include the relief of arthritis and fibromyalgia, while many others bathe for relaxation
The Hot spring obtains its groundwater from various lithological formations
The fracture of the basalt most likely occurred 39 million years ago when the block containing the aquifer slipped down compared to the block on the east of the Selwyn Fault
Summary
Balneotherapy, the practice of therapeutic bathing in hot springs and thermal waters, is an ancient practice that is still very common around the world; some of the advantages attributed to this practice include the relief of arthritis and fibromyalgia, while many others bathe for relaxation This practice is commonplace around the world and is especially popular in Japan and European countries such as Hungary, France and Italy [1,2,3,4,5,6]. The global wellness economy was estimated to have an annual value of USD 4.5 trillion/year in 2018 (Global Wellness Institute webpage). Another author has estimated that balneotherapy has created one million direct and indirect jobs throughout the European Union and treated 5 million patients per year [15]
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