scholarly journals Enterococcal Concentrations in a Coastal Ecosystem Are a Function of Fecal Source Input, Environmental Conditions, and Environmental Sources

2018 ◽  
Vol 84 (17) ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek Rothenheber ◽  
Stephen Jones
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Suspended Solids ◽  
High Tide ◽  
Microbial Source Tracking ◽  
Source Tracking ◽  
Management Problem ◽  
Recreational Waters

ABSTRACTFecal pollution at coastal beaches requires management efforts to address public health and economic concerns. Feces-borne bacterial concentrations are influenced by different fecal sources, environmental conditions, and ecosystem reservoirs, making their public health significance convoluted. In this study, we sought to delineate the influences of these factors on enterococcal concentrations in southern Maine coastal recreational waters. Weekly water samples and water quality measurements were conducted at freshwater, estuarine, and marine beach sites from June through September 2016. The samples were analyzed for total and particle-associated enterococcal concentrations, total suspended solids, and microbial source tracking markers (PCR: Bac32, HF183, CF128, DF475, and Gull2; quantitative PCR [qPCR]: AllBac, HF183, and GFD). Water, soil, sediment, and marine sediment samples were also subjected to 16S rRNA sequencing and SourceTracker analysis to determine the influence from these environmental reservoirs on water sample microbial communities. Enterococcal and particle-associated enterococcal concentrations were elevated in freshwater, but the concentrations of suspended solids were relatively similar. Mammal fecal contamination was significantly elevated in the estuary, with human and bird fecal contaminant levels similar between sites. A partial least-squares regression model indicated particle-associated enterococcal and mammal marker concentrations had the most significant positive relationships with enterococcal concentrations across marine, estuary, and freshwater environments. Freshwater microbial communities were significantly influenced by underlying sediment, while estuarine/marine beach communities were influenced by freshwater, high tide height, and estuarine sediment. Elevated enterococcal levels were reflective of a combination of increased fecal source input, environmental sources, and environmental conditions, highlighting the need for encompassing microbial source tracking (MST) approaches for managing water quality issues.IMPORTANCEEnterococci have long been the federal standard in determining water quality at estuarine and marine environments. Although enterococci are highly abundant in the intestines of many animals, they are not exclusive to that environment and can persist and grow outside fecal tracts. This presents a management problem for areas that are largely impaired by nonpoint source contamination, as fecal sources might not be the root cause of contamination. This study employed different microbial source tracking methods for delineating the influences from fecal source input, environmental sources, and environmental conditions to determine which combination of variables are influencing enterococcal concentrations in recreational waters at a historically impaired coastal town. The results showed that fecal source input, environmental sources, and conditions all play roles in influencing enterococcal concentrations. This highlights the need to include an encompassing microbial source tracking approach to assess the effects of all important variables on enterococcal concentrations.

scholarly journals Effects of Fecal Source Input, Environmental Conditions, and Environmental Sources on Enterococci Concentrations in a Coastal Ecosystem

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek Rothenheber ◽  
Stephen Jones
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Suspended Solids ◽  
High Tide ◽  
Microbial Source Tracking ◽  
Source Tracking ◽  
Management Problem ◽  
Recreational Waters

ABSTRACTFecal pollution at coastal beaches in the Northeast, USA requires management efforts to address public health and economic concerns. Concentrations of fecal-borne bacteria are influenced by different fecal sources, environmental conditions, and ecosystem reservoirs, making their public health significance convoluted. In this study, we sought to delineate the influences of these factors on enterococci concentrations in southern Maine coastal recreational waters. Weekly water samples and water quality measurements were conducted at freshwater, estuarine, and marine beach sites from June through September 2016. Samples were analyzed for total and particle-associated enterococci concentrations, total suspended solids, and microbial source tracking markers for multiple sources. Water, soil, sediment, and marine sediment samples were also subjected to 16S rRNA sequencing and SourceTracker analysis to determine the influence from these environmental reservoirs on water sample microbial communities. Enterococci and particle-associated enterococci concentrations were elevated in freshwater, but suspended solids concentrations were relatively similar. Mammal fecal contamination was significantly elevated in the estuary, with human and bird fecal contaminant levels similar between sites. A partial least squares regression model indicated particle-associated enterococci and mammal marker concentrations had the most significant positive relationships with enterococci concentrations across marine, estuary, and freshwater environments. Freshwater microbial communities were significantly influenced by underlying sediment while estuarine/marine beach communities were influenced by freshwater, high tide height, and estuarine sediment. We found elevated enterococci levels are reflective of a combination of increased fecal source input, environmental sources, and environmental conditions, highlighting the need for encompassing MST approaches for managing water quality issues.IMPORTANCEEnterococci have long been the federal standard in determining water quality at estuarine and marine environments. Although enterococci are highly abundant in the fecal tracts of many animals they are not exclusive to that environment and can persist and grow outside of fecal tracts. This presents a management problem for areas that are largely impaired by non-point source contamination, as fecal sources might not be the root cause of contamination. This study employed different microbial source tracking methods to delineate influences from fecal source input, environmental sources, and environmental conditions to determine which combination of variables are influencing enterococci concentrations in recreational waters at a historically impaired coastal town. Results showed that fecal source input, environmental sources and conditions all play a role in influencing enterococci concentrations. This highlights the need to include an encompassing microbial source tracking approach to assess the effects of all important variables on enterococci concentrations.

Application of mussels as biosamplers for characterization of faecal pollution in coastal recreational waters

2010 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 586-593 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Roslev ◽  
A. S. Bukh ◽  
L. Iversen ◽  
H. Sønderbo ◽  
N. Iversen
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Markers ◽  
Blue Mussel ◽  
Unknown Origin ◽  
Microbial Source Tracking ◽  
Source Tracking ◽  
Recreational Waters ◽  
Human Waste ◽  
Faecal Pollution ◽  
Faecal Bacteria ◽  
Seawater Samples

Sources of faecal pollution in coastal recreational waters may be identified by analysing different host associated microorganisms or molecular markers. However, the microbial targets are often present at low numbers in moderately impacted waters, and often exhibit significant temporal and spatial variability in waters with fluctuating faecal loads. This patchy occurrence can limit successful detection of relevant targets in microbial source tracking studies. In this study, we explored the possibility for using the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) as a biosampler for accumulation of faecal bacteria relevant for microbial source tracking. Non-contaminated blue mussels were transferred to three coastal recreational waters affected by faecal pollution of unknown origin. Molecular markers associated with animal and human waste were targeted by PCR and compared in seawater and mussel samples. The results demonstrated that transplanted mussels in simple enclosures accumulated and retained elevated levels of molecular markers associated with different types of faecal pollution. The targets included a novel putative human associated E. coli subgroup B2 VIII clone, and animal and human associated markers in enterococci (esp, M19, M66, M90, and M91). Human (sewage) associated markers including esp and M66 were sometimes not detectable in seawater samples despite known wastewater contamination, whereas the markers were detectable in mussels. We suggest that transplanted mussels should be considered as potential biosamplers in studies focusing on identifying source of faecal pollution in low or moderately impacted recreational waters. Bioaccumulation of molecular markers in mussels for several days may represent the water quality better than traditional grab samples from the water column.

scholarly journals Norwegian study on microbial source tracking for water quality control and pollution removal in constructed wetland treating catchment run-off

2017 ◽  
Vol 76 (5) ◽  
pp. 1158-1166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Paruch ◽  
Adam M. Paruch ◽  
Anne-Grete Buseth Blankenberg ◽  
Ketil Haarstad ◽  
Trond Mæhlum
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Quality Control ◽  
Constructed Wetland ◽  
Microbial Source Tracking ◽  
Source Tracking ◽  
Water Quality Control ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Run Off ◽  
Pollution Removal

This study describes the first Norwegian microbial source tracking (MST) approach for water quality control and pollution removal from catchment run-off in a nature-based treatment system (NBTS) with a constructed wetland. The applied MST tools combined microbial analyses and molecular tests to detect and define the source(s) and dominant origin(s) of faecal water contamination. Faecal indicator bacteria Escherichia coli and host-specific Bacteroidales 16 s rRNA gene markers have been employed. The study revealed that the newly developed contribution profiling of faecal origin derived from the Bacteroidales DNA could quantitatively distinguish between human and non-human pollution origins. Further, the outcomes of the MST test have been compared with the results of both physicochemical analyses and tests of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs). A strong positive correlation was discovered between the human marker and PPCPs. Gabapentin was the most frequently detected compound and it showed the uppermost positive correlation with the human marker. The study demonstrated that the NBTS performs satisfactorily with the removal of E. coli but not PPCPs. Interestingly, the presence of PPCPs in the water samples was not correlated with high concentrations of E. coli. Neither has the latter an apparent correlation with the human marker.

Confirmation of putative stormwater impact on water quality at a Florida beach by microbial source tracking methods and structure of indicator organism populations

2007 ◽  
Vol 41 (16) ◽  
pp. 3747-3757 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.J. Brownell ◽  
V.J. Harwood ◽  
R.C. Kurz ◽  
S.M. McQuaig ◽  
J. Lukasik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Microbial Source Tracking ◽  
Source Tracking ◽  
Indicator Organism

scholarly journals Enabling technology for microbial source tracking based on transfer learning: From ontology-aware general knowledge to context-aware expert systems

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui Chong ◽  
Qingyang Yu ◽  
Yuguo Zha ◽  
Guangzhou Xiong ◽  
Nan Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Transfer Learning ◽  
Microbial Source Tracking ◽  
Source Tracking ◽  
Context Aware ◽  
Tracking Accuracy ◽  
Complex Interactions ◽  
Learning Techniques ◽  
Context Dependent ◽  
Disease Stages

AbstractHabitat specific patterns reflected by microbial communities, as well as complex interactions between the community and their environments or hosts’ characteristics, have created obstacles for microbial source tracking: diverse and context-dependent applications are asking for quantification of the contributions of different niches (biomes), which have already overwhelmed existing methods. Moreover, existing source tracking methods could not extend well for source tracking samples from understudied biomes, as well as samples from longitudinal studies.Here, we introduce EXPERT (https://github.com/HUST-NingKang-Lab/EXPERT), an exact and pervasive expert model for source tracking microbial communities based on transfer learning. Built upon the biome ontology information and transfer learning techniques, EXPERT has acquired the context-aware flexibility and could easily expand the supervised model’s search scope to include the context-dependent community samples and understudied biomes. While at the same time, it is superior to current approaches in source tracking accuracy and speed. EXPERT’s superiority has been demonstrated on multiple source tracking tasks, including source tracking samples collected at different disease stages and longitudinal samples. For example, when dealing with 635 samples from a recent study of colorectal cancer, EXPERT could achieve an AUROC of 0.977 when predicting the host’s phenotypical status. In summary, EXPERT has unleashed the potential of model-based source tracking approaches, enabling source tracking in versatile context-dependent settings, accomplishing pervasive and in-depth knowledge discovery from microbiome.

Fecal Pollution, Public Health, and Microbial Source Tracking

2014 ◽  
pp. 1-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill R. Stewart ◽  
Jorge W. Santo Domingo ◽  
Timothy J. Wade
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Microbial Source Tracking ◽  
Fecal Pollution ◽  
Source Tracking

scholarly journals Enterococci in the Environment

2012 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 685-706 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muruleedhara N. Byappanahalli ◽  
Meredith B. Nevers ◽  
Asja Korajkic ◽  
Zachery R. Staley ◽  
Valerie J. Harwood
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Water Quality Monitoring ◽  
Source Tracking ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Human Pathogens ◽  
Opportunistic Pathogens ◽  
Recreational Waters ◽  
Fecal Indicator ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sources And Sinks

SUMMARYEnterococci are common, commensal members of gut communities in mammals and birds, yet they are also opportunistic pathogens that cause millions of human and animal infections annually. Because they are shed in human and animal feces, are readily culturable, and predict human health risks from exposure to polluted recreational waters, they are used as surrogates for waterborne pathogens and as fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) in research and in water quality testing throughout the world. Evidence from several decades of research demonstrates, however, that enterococci may be present in high densities in the absence of obvious fecal sources and that environmental reservoirs of these FIB are important sources and sinks, with the potential to impact water quality. This review focuses on the distribution and microbial ecology of enterococci in environmental (secondary) habitats, including the effect of environmental stressors; an outline of their known and apparent sources, sinks, and fluxes; and an overview of the use of enterococci as FIB. Finally, the significance of emerging methodologies, such as microbial source tracking (MST) and empirical predictive models, as tools in water quality monitoring is addressed. The mounting evidence for widespread extraenteric sources and reservoirs of enterococci demonstrates the versatility of the genusEnterococcusand argues for the necessity of a better understanding of their ecology in natural environments, as well as their roles as opportunistic pathogens and indicators of human pathogens.

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