Despite wastewater management and treatment plants, human waste remains the main source of microbial faecal pollution in the river Danube. This is the most notable finding of a comprehensive analysis of faecal pollution in the Danube. The study used a new molecular genetics method that enables the clear differentiation of human microbial faecal pollution from that of animal origin. The currently published study was carried out with the major participation of the Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences under the auspices of the Interuniversity Cooperation Centre for Water & Health in Austria.