scholarly journals Assessing the Importance of Sand as a Source of Fecal Indicator Bacteria (Escherichia coli and Enterococcus)

Oceanography ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 98-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Knee ◽  
Rose Leopold ◽  
Ella Madsen ◽  
Adina Paytan
2018 ◽  
Vol 84 (16) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Frick ◽  
Julia Vierheilig ◽  
Rita Linke ◽  
Domenico Savio ◽  
Horst Zornig ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTQuantitative information regarding the presence ofEscherichia coli, intestinal enterococci, andClostridium perfringensin poikilotherms is notably scarce. Therefore, this study was designed to allow a systematic comparison of the occurrence of these standard fecal indicator bacteria (SFIB) in the excreta of wild homeothermic (ruminants, boars, carnivores, and birds) and poikilothermic (earthworms, gastropods, frogs, and fish) animals inhabiting an alluvial backwater area in eastern Austria. With the exception of earthworms, the average concentrations ofE. coliand enterococci in the excreta of poikilotherms were equal to or only slightly lower than those observed in homeothermic excreta and were 1 to 4 orders of magnitude higher than the levels observed in the ambient soils and sediments. Enterococci reached extraordinarily high concentrations in gastropods. Additional estimates of the daily excreted SFIB (E. coliand enterococcus) loads (DESL) further supported the importance of poikilotherms as potential pollution sources. The newly established DESL metric also allowed comparison to the standing stock of SFIB in the sediment and soil of the investigated area. In agreement with its biological characteristics, the highest concentrations ofC. perfringenswere observed in carnivores. In conclusion, the long-standing hypothesis that only humans and homeothermic animals are primary sources of SFIB is challenged by the results of this study. It may be necessary to extend the fecal indicator concept by additionally considering poikilotherms as potential important primary habitats of SFIB. Further studies in other geographical areas are needed to evaluate the general significance of our results. We hypothesize that the importance of poikilotherms as sources of SFIB is strongly correlated with the ambient temperature and would therefore be of increased significance in subtropical and tropical habitats and water resources.IMPORTANCEThe current fecal indicator concept is based on the assumption that the standard fecal indicator bacteria (SFIB)Escherichia coli, intestinal enterococci, andClostridium perfringensmultiply significantly only in the guts of humans and other homeothermic animals and can therefore indicate fecal pollution and the potential presence of pathogens from those groups. The findings of the present study showed that SFIB can also occur in high concentrations in poikilothermic animals (i.e., animals with body temperatures that vary with the ambient environmental temperature, such as fish, frogs, and snails) in an alluvial backwater area in a temperate region, indicating that a reconsideration of this long-standing indicator paradigm is needed. This study suggests that poikilotherms must be considered to be potential primary sources of SFIB in future studies.


2013 ◽  
Vol 79 (7) ◽  
pp. 2488-2492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asja Korajkic ◽  
Brian R. McMinn ◽  
Valerie J. Harwood ◽  
Orin C. Shanks ◽  
G. Shay Fout ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTUsingin situsubtropical aquatic mesocosms, fecal source (cattle manure versus sewage) was shown to be the most important contributor to differential loss in viability of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), specifically enterococci in freshwater andEscherichia coliin marine habitats. In this study, sunlight exposure and indigenous aquatic microbiota were also important contributors, whose effects on FIB also differed between water types.


2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (22) ◽  
pp. 8146-8150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachery R. Staley ◽  
Jacob K. Senkbeil ◽  
Jason R. Rohr ◽  
Valerie J. Harwood

ABSTRACTAgrochemicals, fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), and pathogens frequently contaminate water simultaneously. No significant direct effects of fertilizer, atrazine, malathion, and chlorothalonil on the survival ofEscherichia coli,Enterococcus faecalis,Salmonella enterica, human polyomaviruses, and adenovirus were detected, supporting the assertion that previously observed effects of agrochemicals on FIB were indirect.


Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1089
Author(s):  
Daniel Toribio-Avedillo ◽  
Anicet R. Blanch ◽  
Maite Muniesa ◽  
Lorena Rodríguez-Rubio

Bacteriophages are promising tools for the detection of fecal pollution in different environments, and particularly for viral pathogen risk assessment. Having similar morphological and biological characteristics, bacteriophages mimic the fate and transport of enteric viruses. Enteric bacteriophages, especially phages infecting Escherichia coli (coliphages), have been proposed as alternatives or complements to fecal indicator bacteria. Here, we provide a general overview of the potential use of enteric bacteriophages as fecal and viral indicators in different environments, as well as the available methods for their detection and enumeration, and the regulations for their application.


Author(s):  
Yoshihiro Suzuki ◽  
Mizuho Uno ◽  
Masateru Nishiyama ◽  
Kei Nukazawa ◽  
Yoshifumi Masago

Abstract There is a need for developing a simple and easy-to-maintain disinfection technique for sewage treatment for use in developing countries and disaster-affected areas. We propose a novel disinfection technology that inactivates bacteria in wastewater via sunlight irradiation under high salt concentration by mixing with seawater. The disinfection efficiency of the proposed method was quantitatively evaluated and examined using fecal indicator bacteria. When the salinity in wastewater was adjusted to 30 practical salinity units by mixing with seawater, the constant of inactivation irradiation energy Ks (m2/MJ) was 1.6–2.2-fold greater than that without seawater for total coliforms and Escherichia coli. By contrast, although enterococci were inactivated by sunlight irradiation, an increase in salinity did not enhance disinfection. On setting the irradiation energy of sunlight to 5.5 MJ/m2, >99% of the fecal indicator bacteria were inactivated. Finally, we examined the relationship between the attenuation of irradiance and water depth and accordingly proposed a design of a treatment system wherein wastewater and seawater were adequately mixed and passed via a disinfection tank under the natural flow with sunlight irradiation.


2015 ◽  
Vol 81 (14) ◽  
pp. 4801-4808 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. D. Stocker ◽  
Y. A. Pachepsky ◽  
R. L. Hill ◽  
D. R. Shelton

ABSTRACTOnce released, manure-borne bacteria can enter runoff via interaction with the thin mixing layer near the soil surface. The objectives of this work were to document temporal changes in profile distributions of manure-borneEscherichia coliand enterococci in the near-surface soil layers after simulated rainfalls and to examine differences in survival of the two fecal indicator bacteria. Rainfall simulations were performed in triplicate on soil-filled boxes with grass cover and solid manure application for 1 h with rainfall depths of 30, 60, and 90 mm. Soil samples were collected weekly from depth ranges of 0 to 1, 1 to 2, 2 to 5, and 5 to 10 cm for 1 month. Rainfall intensity was found to have a significant impact on the initial concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria in the soil. While total numbers of enterococci rapidly declined over time,E. colipopulations experienced initial growth with concentration increases of 4, 10, and 25 times the initial levels at rainfall treatment depths of 30, 60, and 90 mm, respectively.E. colipopulations grew to the approximately the same level in all treatments. The 0- to 1-cm layer contained more indicator bacteria than the layers beneath it, and survival of indicator bacteria was better in this layer, with decimation times between 12 and 18 days after the first week of growth. The proportion of bacteria in the 0- to 1-cm layer grew with time as the total number of bacteria in the 0- to 10-cm layer declined. The results of this work indicate the need to revisit the bacterial survival patterns that are assumed in water quality models.


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