From capture to detection: A critical review of passive sampling techniques for pathogen surveillance in water and wastewater

•Assessed global events' impacts on passive sampling trends (1916–2024).•Explored geographical and temporal shifts in passive sampling across water matrices.•Demonstrated the effectiveness of advancing technology for pathogen detection.•Highlighted the need for standardized reporting in passive sampling studies.•Outlined research to refine passive sampling for broader applications. Water quality, critical for human survival and well-being, necessitates rigorous control to mitigate contamination risks, particularly from pathogens amid expanding urbanization. Consequently, the necessity to maintain the microbiological safety of water supplies demands effective surveillance strategies, reliant on the collection of representative samples and precise measurement of contaminants. This review critically examines the advancements of passive sampling techniques for monitoring pathogens in various water systems, including wastewater, freshwater, and seawater. We explore the evolution from conventional materials to innovative adsorbents for pathogen capture and the shift from culture-based to molecular detection methods, underscoring the adaptation of this field to global health challenges. The comparison highlights passive sampling's efficacy over conventional techniques like grab sampling and its potential to overcome existing sampling challenges through the use of innovative materials such as granular activated carbon, thermoplastics, and polymer membranes. By critically evaluating the literature, this work identifies standardization gaps and proposes future research directions to augment passive sampling's efficiency, specificity, and utility in environmental and public health surveillance. [Display omitted]