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Schilperoort R, Post J, Klootwijk M, Hoefeijzers B, Hof A, Palsma B, Leenen I, Schmitt H, Blaak H, de Rijk S, McCarthy D, Makris KF, Langeveld JG. A comparative study between low- and high-tech methods for the detection and mitigation of illicit connections in stormwater systems. WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY : A JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION ON WATER POLLUTION RESEARCH 2023; 88:1833-1846. [PMID: 37830999 PMCID: wst_2023_309 DOI: 10.2166/wst.2023.309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
Illicit connections of wastewater to stormwater systems are the main drawback of separate sewer systems, as they lead to a direct discharge of untreated wastewater to the aquatic environment. Consequently, several inspection methods have been developed for detecting illicit connections. This study simultaneously applied several low- and high-tech methods for the detection of illicit connections in the same catchment (De Heuvel, the Netherlands). The methods included mesh wire screens for capturing coarse contamination, measurements of electroconductivity and temperature, sampling and quantification of Escherichia coli and extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producing E. coli (ESBL-EC), DNA analysis via quantitative polymerase chain reaction for human-, dog-, and bird-specific fecal indicators, and distributed temperature sensing. Significant illicit connections could be identified using all methods. Nonetheless, hydraulic conditions and, predominantly, the sewage volume determine whether a misconnection can be detected by especially the low-tech methods. Using these results, the identified misconnections were repaired and biological and DNA analyses were repeated. Our results demonstrate that there were no changes in E. coli or ESBL-EC before and after mitigation, suggesting that these common markers of fecal contamination are not specific enough to evaluate the performance of mitigation efforts. However, a marked decrease in human wastewater markers (HF183) was observed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Johan Post
- Partners4UrbanWater, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | | | | | - Arjo Hof
- Municipality of Almere, Almere, The Netherlands
| | | | - Imke Leenen
- H2Oké Water & Health Consultancy, Bennekom, The Netherlands
| | - Heike Schmitt
- National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Hetty Blaak
- National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Sharona de Rijk
- National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - David McCarthy
- Environmental and Public Health Microbiology Lab (EPHM Lab), Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
| | | | - Jeroen G Langeveld
- Partners4UrbanWater, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Department of Watermanagement, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
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Meuchi Y, Nakada M, Kuroda K, Hanamoto S, Hata A. Applicability of F-specific bacteriophage subgroups, PMMoV and crAssphage as indicators of source specific fecal contamination and viral inactivation in rivers in Japan. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0288454. [PMID: 37450468 PMCID: PMC10348522 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0288454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
To date, several microbes have been proposed as potential source-specific indicators of fecal pollution. 16S ribosomal RNA gene markers of the Bacteroidales species are the most widely applied due to their predominance in the water environment and source specificity. F-specific bacteriophage (FPH) subgroups, especially FRNA phage genogroups, are also known as potential source-specific viral indicators. Since they can be quantified by both culture-based and molecular assays, they may also be useful as indicators for estimating viral inactivation in the environment. Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) and crAssphage, which are frequently present in human feces, are also potentially useful as human-specific indicators of viral pollution. This study aimed to evaluate the applicability of FPH subgroups, PMMoV, and crAssphage as indicators of source-specific fecal contamination and viral inactivation using 108 surface water samples collected at five sites affected by municipal and pig farm wastewater. The host specificity of the FPH subgroups, PMMoV, and crAssphage was evaluated by principal component analysis (PCA) along with other microbial indicators, such as 16S ribosomal RNA gene markers of the Bacteroidales species. The viabilities (infectivity indices) of FRNA phage genogroups were estimated by comparing their numbers determined by infectivity-based and molecular assays. The PCA explained 58.2% of the total information and classified microbes into three groups: those considered to be associated with pig and human fecal contamination and others. Infective and gene of genogroup IV (GIV)-FRNA phage were assumed to be specific to pig fecal contamination, while the genes of GII-FRNA phage and crAssphage were identified to be specific to human fecal contamination. However, PMMoV, infective GI-FRNA phage, and FDNA phage were suggested to not be specific to human or pig fecal contamination. FRNA phage genogroups, especially the GIV-FRNA phage, were highly inactivated in the warm months in Japan (i.e., July to November). Comparing the infectivity index of several FRNA phage genogroups or other viruses may provide further insight into viral inactivation in the natural environment and by water treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuno Meuchi
- Graduate School of Engineering, Toyama Prefectural University, Imizu, Toyama, Japan
| | - Miu Nakada
- Faculty of Engineering, Toyama Prefectural University, Imizu, Toyama, Japan
| | - Keisuke Kuroda
- Faculty of Engineering, Toyama Prefectural University, Imizu, Toyama, Japan
| | - Seiya Hanamoto
- Environment Preservation Center, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan
| | - Akihiko Hata
- Faculty of Engineering, Toyama Prefectural University, Imizu, Toyama, Japan
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González-Fernández A, Symonds EM, Gallard-Gongora JF, Mull B, Lukasik JO, Rivera Navarro P, Badilla Aguilar A, Peraud J, Mora Alvarado D, Cantor A, Breitbart M, Cairns MR, Harwood VJ. Risk of Gastroenteritis from Swimming at a Wastewater-Impacted Tropical Beach Varies across Localized Scales. Appl Environ Microbiol 2023; 89:e0103322. [PMID: 36847564 PMCID: PMC10057883 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01033-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Population growth and changing climate are expected to increase human exposure to pathogens in tropical coastal waters. We examined microbiological water quality in three rivers within 2.3 km of each other that impact a Costa Rican beach and in the ocean outside their plumes during the rainy and dry seasons. We performed quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) to predict the risk of gastroenteritis associated with swimming and the amount of pathogen reduction needed to achieve safe conditions. Recreational water quality criteria based on enterococci were exceeded in >90% of river samples but in only 13% of ocean samples. Multivariate analysis grouped microbial observations by subwatershed and season in river samples but only by subwatershed in the ocean. The modeled median risk from all pathogens in river samples was between 0.345 and 0.577, 10-fold above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) benchmark of 0.036 (36 illnesses/1,000 swimmers). Norovirus genogroup I (NoVGI) contributed most to risk, but adenoviruses raised risk above the threshold in the two most urban subwatersheds. The risk was greater in the dry compared to the rainy season, due largely to the greater frequency of NoVGI detection (100% versus 41%). Viral log10 reduction needed to ensure safe swimming conditions varied by subwatershed and season and was greatest in the dry season (3.8 to 4.1 dry; 2.7 to 3.2 rainy). QMRA that accounts for seasonal and local variability of water quality contributes to understanding the complex influences of hydrology, land use, and environment on human health risk in tropical coastal areas and can contribute to improved beach management. IMPORTANCE This holistic investigation of sanitary water quality at a Costa Rican beach assessed microbial source tracking (MST) marker genes, pathogens, and indicators of sewage. Such studies are still rare in tropical climates. Quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) found that rivers impacting the beach consistently exceeded the U.S. EPA risk threshold for gastroenteritis of 36/1,000 swimmers. The study improves upon many QMRA studies by measuring specific pathogens, rather than relying on surrogates (indicator organisms or MST markers) or estimating pathogen concentrations from the literature. By analyzing microbial levels and estimating the risk of gastrointestinal illness in each river, we were able to discern differences in pathogen levels and human health risks even though all rivers were highly polluted by wastewater and were located less than 2.5 km from one another. This variability on a localized scale has not, to our knowledge, previously been demonstrated.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Erin M. Symonds
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, Saint Petersburg, Florida, USA
- Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | | | - Bonnie Mull
- BCS Laboratories, Inc., Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | | | - Pablo Rivera Navarro
- Laboratorio Nacional de Aguas, Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados, Tres Ríos, Cartago, Costa Rica
| | - Andrei Badilla Aguilar
- Laboratorio Nacional de Aguas, Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados, Tres Ríos, Cartago, Costa Rica
| | - Jayme Peraud
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Darner Mora Alvarado
- Laboratorio Nacional de Aguas, Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados, Tres Ríos, Cartago, Costa Rica
| | - Allison Cantor
- Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Mya Breitbart
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, Saint Petersburg, Florida, USA
| | - Maryann R. Cairns
- Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Valerie J. Harwood
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
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Tiwari A, Kauppinen A, Räsänen P, Salonen J, Wessels L, Juntunen J, Miettinen IT, Pitkänen T. Effects of temperature and light exposure on the decay characteristics of fecal indicators, norovirus, and Legionella in mesocosms simulating subarctic river water. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 859:160340. [PMID: 36423850 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Knowledge of the decay characteristics of health-related microbes in surface waters is important for modeling the transportation of waterborne pathogens and for assessing their public health risks. Although water temperature and light exposure are major factors determining the decay characteristics of enteric microbes in surface waters, such effects have not been well studied in subarctic surface waters. This study comprehensively evaluated the effect of temperature and light on the decay characteristics of health-related microbes [Escherichia coli, enterococci, microbial source tracking markers (GenBac3 & HF183 assays), coliphages (F-specific and somatic), noroviruses GII and Legionella spp.] under simulated subarctic river water conditions. The experiments were conducted in four different laboratory settings (4 °C/dark, 15 °C/dark, 15 °C/light, and 22 °C/light). The T90 values (time required for a 90 % reduction in the population of a target) of all targets were higher under cold and dark (2.6-51.3 days depending upon targets) than under warm and light conditions (0.6-3.5 days). Under 4 °C/dark (simulated winter) water conditions, F-specific coliphages had 27.2 times higher, and coliform bacteria had 3.3 times higher T90 value than under 22 °C/light (simulated summer) water conditions. Bacterial molecular markers also displayed high variation in T90 values, with the greatest difference between 4 °C/dark and 22 °C/light recorded for HF183 DNA (20.6 times) and the lowest difference for EC23S857 RNA (6.6 times). E. coli, intestinal enterococci, and somatic coliphages were relatively more sensitive to light than water temperature, but F-specific coliphages, norovirus, and all bacterial rDNA and rRNA markers were relatively more sensitive to temperature than light exposure. Due to the slow microbial decay in winter under subarctic conditions, the microbial quality of river water might remain low for a long time after a sewage spill. This increased risk associated with fecal pollution during winter may deserve more attention, especially when river waters are used for drinking water production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ananda Tiwari
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Expert Microbiology Unit, Kuopio, Finland; University of Helsinki, Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Ari Kauppinen
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Expert Microbiology Unit, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Pia Räsänen
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Expert Microbiology Unit, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Jenniina Salonen
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Expert Microbiology Unit, Kuopio, Finland; University of Eastern Finland, Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Laura Wessels
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Expert Microbiology Unit, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Janne Juntunen
- Finnish Environment Institute, Freshwater Center, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Ilkka T Miettinen
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Expert Microbiology Unit, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Tarja Pitkänen
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Expert Microbiology Unit, Kuopio, Finland; University of Helsinki, Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Helsinki, Finland.
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Urakawa H, Kratz MA, Hancock TL, Armstrong RA. QT-AMP: Sequencing PCR amplicons from Quanti-Tray wells to analyze enterococci communities. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 839:156188. [PMID: 35618132 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Revised: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Enterococcus is ubiquitous in human feces and has been adopted as a useful indicator of human fecal pollution in water. Although regular enterococci monitoring only examines their numbers, identifying human-specific Enterococcus species or genotypes could help discriminate human fecal contamination from other environmental sources. We documented a new approach to characterize enterococci using a high-throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing platform from Quanti Trays after following the counting of the most probable numbers of enterococci. We named this method QT-AMP (Quanti-Tray-based amplicon sequencing). We tested surface water samples collected from three rivers in southwest Florida. We detected 11 Enterococcus species from 45 samples in 1.1 million sequence reads. The method detected three rare species and eight cosmopolitan species (Enterococcus faecalis, E. faecium, E. casseliflavus, E. hirae, E. mundtii, E. gallinarum, E. avium, and E. durans) which have been commonly documented in previous studies. The approximate detection level of QT-AMP was four orders of magnitude higher than regular 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. The current Enterolert MPN method only provides quantitative information but now we can look into the relative abundance of Enterococci species composition by accompanying Illumina sequencing. This QT-AMP could be a useful tool to streamline the quantification and identification of enterococci and could be used in various water management projects and human health risk assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hidetoshi Urakawa
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Studies, Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers, FL 33965, United States; School of Geosciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, United States.
| | - Michael A Kratz
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Studies, Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers, FL 33965, United States
| | - Taylor L Hancock
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Studies, Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers, FL 33965, United States; School of Geosciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, United States
| | - Rick A Armstrong
- Lee County Environmental Laboratory, Fort Myers, FL 33907, United States
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6
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Brewton RA, Kreiger LB, Tyre KN, Baladi D, Wilking LE, Herren LW, Lapointe BE. Septic system-groundwater-surface water couplings in waterfront communities contribute to harmful algal blooms in Southwest Florida. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 837:155319. [PMID: 35452738 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
As human population growth has expanded in Southwest Florida, water quality has become degraded with an increased occurrence of harmful algal blooms (HABs). Red tide (Karenia brevis) originating offshore, intensifies in nearshore waters along Florida's Gulf Coast, and blue-green algae (Microcystis spp.) originating in Lake Okeechobee is discharged into the Caloosahatchee River. These HABs could be enhanced by anthropogenic nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from adjacent watersheds. North Fort Myers is a heavily developed, low-lying city on the Caloosahatchee River Estuary serviced by septic systems with documented nutrient and bacterial pollution. To identify sources of pollution within North Fort Myers and determine connections with downstream HABs, this multiyear (2017-2020) study examined septic system- groundwater- surface water couplings through the analysis of water table depth, nutrients (N, P), fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), molecular markers (HF183, GFD, Gull2), chemical tracers (sucralose, pharmaceuticals, herbicides, pesticides), stable isotopes of groundwater (δ15N-NH4, δ15N-NO3) and particulate organic matter (POM; δ15N, δ13C), and POM elemental composition (C:N:P). POM samples were also collected during K. brevis and Microcystis spp. HAB events. Most (>80%) water table depth measurements were too shallow to support septic system functioning (<1.07 m). High concentrations of NH4+ and NOx, up to 1094 μM and 482 μM respectively, were found in groundwater and surface water. δ15N values of groundwater (+4.7‰) were similar to septic effluent (+4.9‰), POM (+4.7‰), and downstream HABs (+4.8 to 6.9‰), indicating a human waste N source. In surface water, FIB were elevated and HF183 was detected, while in groundwater and surface water sucralose, carbamazepine, primidone, and acetaminophen were detected. These data suggest that groundwater and surface water in North Fort Myers are coupled and contaminated by septic system effluent, which is negatively affecting water quality and contributing to the maintenance and intensification of downstream HABs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel A Brewton
- Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University, 5600 US 1, Fort Pierce, FL 34946, USA.
| | - Lisa B Kreiger
- Lee County Division of Natural Resources, 1500 Monroe St, Fort Myers, FL 33901, USA
| | - Kevin N Tyre
- Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University, 5600 US 1, Fort Pierce, FL 34946, USA
| | - Diana Baladi
- Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University, 5600 US 1, Fort Pierce, FL 34946, USA
| | - Lynn E Wilking
- Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University, 5600 US 1, Fort Pierce, FL 34946, USA
| | - Laura W Herren
- Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University, 5600 US 1, Fort Pierce, FL 34946, USA
| | - Brian E Lapointe
- Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University, 5600 US 1, Fort Pierce, FL 34946, USA
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Sherchan S, Shahin S, Alarcon J, Brosky H, Potter C, Dada AC. Microbial source tracking of fecal contamination in stormwater runoff. JOURNAL OF WATER AND HEALTH 2022; 20:1271-1283. [PMID: 36170186 DOI: 10.2166/wh.2022.286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Concerns over fecal contamination in stormwater canals have promoted the need for pollution control strategies, including the use of microbial source tracking, to identify fecal contamination in the Greater New Orleans Area. Surface water samples were collected over a 12-month period at five canal locations within Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction and the IDEXX method were used to assess the concentrations of coliforms, Escherichia coli (E. coli) and human fecal 183 bacteroides (HF183) in stormwater samples. A 100% positive detection rate of total coliforms and E. coli was observed across all tested sites. Despite the closeness of the five sites, when averaged across all sampling time points, Kruskal-Wallis tests indicated that E. coli was present at significantly different concentrations in these locations (χ2(5) = 19.8, p = 0.0005). HF183 was detected in 62% of the water samples collected during the stormwater sampling. Without further testing for HF183 markers, the conclusion from this study would have been that fecal contamination from an unknown source was always present at varying levels during the study period. Analysis of HF183 markers therefore adds another layer of conclusions to the results deductible from E. coli concentrations. A 100% E. coli detection rate, high E. coli concentrations coupled with low rates of HF183 detection particularly at the Esplanade, Poplar Street, and Bonnabel Boat Launch sites, the sites closest to the lake outlet, throughout the study period, indicate that fecal contamination at these stormwater canal sites comes primarily from non-human sources. However, the Metairie Road and Napoleon Avenue sites, which have the highest HF183 detection rates, on top of chronic pollution by other non-human sources, are also influenced by human fecal pollution, possibly because of human development and faulty infrastructure. This study highlights the advantages of the use of microbial source-tracking methods to complement traditional indicator bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samendra Sherchan
- Department of Global Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA E-mail: ; Department of Biology, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD 21251, USA
| | - Shalina Shahin
- Department of Global Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA E-mail:
| | - Joshua Alarcon
- Department of Global Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA E-mail:
| | - Hanna Brosky
- Department of Global Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA E-mail:
| | - Collin Potter
- Department of Global Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA E-mail:
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Price MT, Blackwood AD, Noble RT. Integrating culture and molecular quantification of microbial contaminants into a predictive modeling framework in a low-lying, tidally-influenced coastal watershed. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 792:148232. [PMID: 34147794 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Revised: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Examinations of stormwater delivery in the context of tidal inundation are lacking. Along the coastal plains of the southeastern United States, tidal inundation is increasing in frequency and severity, often with dramatic adverse impacts on timely stormwater discharge, coastal flooding hazards, and even "sunny day flooding". Therefore, a comprehensive study was conducted to examine tidally-influenced stormwater outfalls discharging to Taylor's Creek, an estuary proximal to Beaufort, NC used regularly for recreation and tourism. Over a wide range of meteorological conditions, water samples were collected and analyzed for fecal indicator bacteria (FIB, used for water quality management) and previously published quantitative microbial source tracking (qMST) markers. Nineteen sampling events were conducted from July 2017-June 2018 with samples classified according to tidal state and defined as either inundated, receding, or transition. A first-of-its-kind multiple linear regression model was developed to predict concentrations of Enterococcus sp. by tidal cycle, salinity and antecedent rainfall. We demonstrated that the majority of variability associated with the concentration of Enterococcus sp. could be predicted by E. coli concentration and tidal phase. FIB concentrations were significantly (<0.05) influenced by tide with higher concentrations observed in samples collected during receding (low) tides (EC: log 3.12 MPN/100 mL; ENT: 2.67 MPN/100 mL) compared to those collected during inundated (high) (EC: log 2.62 MPN/100 mL; ENT: 2.11 MPN/100 mL) or transition (EC: log 2.74 MPN/100 mL; ENT: 2.53 MPN/100 mL) tidal periods. Salinity, was also found to significantly (<0.05) correlate with Enterococcus sp. concentrations during inundated (high) tidal conditions (sal: 17 ppt; ENT: 2.04 MPN/100 mL). Tide, not precipitation, was shown to be a significant driver in explaining the variability in Enterococcus sp. concentrations. Precipitation has previously been shown to be a driver of Enterococcus sp. concentrations, but our project demonstrates the need for tidal parameters to be included in the future development of water quality monitoring programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew T Price
- UNC Institute of Marine Sciences, 3431 Arendell St., Morehead City, NC 28557, USA
| | - Angelia D Blackwood
- UNC Institute of Marine Sciences, 3431 Arendell St., Morehead City, NC 28557, USA
| | - Rachel T Noble
- UNC Institute of Marine Sciences, 3431 Arendell St., Morehead City, NC 28557, USA.
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9
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Zhang Y, Wu R, Li W, Chen Z, Li K. Occurrence and distributions of human-associated markers in an impacted urban watershed. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2021; 275:116654. [PMID: 33582625 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.116654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Revised: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Numerous genetic markers for microbial source tracking (MST) have been evaluated by testing a panel of target and nontarget faecal samples. However, the performance of MST markers may vary between faecal and water samples, thereby resulting in inaccurate water quality assessment. In this study, a 30-day sampling study was conducted in an urban river impacted by human- and sewage-associated pollution to evaluate the performance of different human-associated markers in environmental water. Additionally, marker decay was assessed via a microcosms approach. Overall, Bacteroidales 16sRNA and crAssphage markers exhibited higher prevalence in the study area, and their detection frequencies exceeded 90%. In contrast, Bacteroidales protein markers exhibited poor detection frequencies compared to other markers, with the prevalence of Hum2 and Hum163 reaching only 63% and 84%, respectively. Regarding marker abundance, there was no significant difference in the detection concentrations between Bacteroidales 16sRNA and crAssphage markers (p > 0.05); however, the concentrations of Bacteroidales protein markers were nearly 1 order of magnitude lower than those of other MST markers. The microcosm experiments indicated that the decay rate of crAssphage markers was significantly lower than that of other bacterial target markers, which may improve their detectability when the pollution source is located far from the sampling site. Due to the observed differences in performance and decay patterns among Bacteroidales 16sRNA, crAssphage, and Bacteroidales protein markers, we recommend the simultaneous use of multiple markers from different target microorganisms to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of the pollution sources. This approach would also provide an accurate assessment of pollution levels and health risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Zhang
- The Key Laboratory of Water and Air Pollution Control of Guangdong Province, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China, Guangzhou, 510000, PR China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Water Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China, Guangzhou, 510530, PR China
| | - Renren Wu
- The Key Laboratory of Water and Air Pollution Control of Guangdong Province, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China, Guangzhou, 510000, PR China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Water Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China, Guangzhou, 510530, PR China.
| | - Wenjing Li
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Water Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China, Guangzhou, 510530, PR China
| | - Zhongying Chen
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Water Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China, Guangzhou, 510530, PR China
| | - Kaiming Li
- The Key Laboratory of Water and Air Pollution Control of Guangdong Province, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China, Guangzhou, 510000, PR China
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10
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Carrey R, Ballesté E, Blanch AR, Lucena F, Pons P, López JM, Rull M, Solà J, Micola N, Fraile J, Garrido T, Munné A, Soler A, Otero N. Combining multi-isotopic and molecular source tracking methods to identify nitrate pollution sources in surface and groundwater. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 188:116537. [PMID: 33126005 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.116537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2020] [Revised: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/18/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Nitrate (NO3-) pollution adversely impacts surface and groundwater quality. In recent decades, many countries have implemented measures to control and reduce anthropogenic nitrate pollution in water resources. However, to effectively implement mitigation measures at the origin of pollution,the source of nitrate must first be identified. The stable nitrogen and oxygen isotopes of NO3- (ẟ15N and ẟ18O) have been widely used to identify NO3- sources in water, and their combination with other stable isotopes such as boron (ẟ11B) has further improved nitrate source identification. However, the use of these datasets has been limited due to their overlapping isotopic ranges, mixing between sources, and/or isotopic fractionation related to physicochemical processes. To overcome these limitations, we combined a multi-isotopic analysis with fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) and microbial source tracking (MST) techniques to improve nitrate origin identification. We applied this novel approach on 149 groundwater and 39 surface water samples distributed across Catalonia (NE Spain). A further 18 wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents were also isotopically and biologically characterized. The groundwater and surface water results confirm that isotopes and MST analyses were complementary and provided more reliable information on the source of nitrate contamination. The isotope and MST data agreed or partially agreed in most of the samples evaluated (79 %). This approach was especially useful for nitrate pollution tracing in surface water but was also effective in groundwater samples influenced by organic nitrate pollution. Furthermore, the findings from the WWTP effluents suggest that the use of literature values to define the isotopic ranges of anthropogenic sources can constrain interpretations. We therefore recommend that local sources be isotopically characterized for accurate interpretations. For instance, the detection of MST inferred animal influence in some WWTP effluents, but the ẟ11B values were higher than those reported in the literature for wastewater. The results of this study have been used by local water authorities to review uncertain cases and identify new vulnerable zones in Catalonia according to the European Nitrate Directive (91/676/CEE).
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Affiliation(s)
- Raúl Carrey
- Grup MAiMA, SGR Mineralogia Aplicada, Geoquímica i Geomicrobiologia, SIMGEO UB-CSIC, Departament de Mineralogia, Petrologia i Geologia Aplicada, Facultat de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), C/Martí i Franquès s/n, 08028 Barcelona (Spain); Centres Científics i Tecnològics, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), C/Lluís Solé i Sabarís 1-3, 08028 Barcelona (Spain).
| | - Elisenda Ballesté
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Diagonal 645, 08028 Barcelona (Spain)
| | - Anicet R Blanch
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Diagonal 645, 08028 Barcelona (Spain)
| | - Francisco Lucena
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Diagonal 645, 08028 Barcelona (Spain)
| | - Pere Pons
- Geoservei Projectes i Gestió Ambiental, S.L. OriolMartorell, 40, 1r, 3ª, 17003 Girona (Spain)
| | - Juan Manuel López
- Geoservei Projectes i Gestió Ambiental, S.L. OriolMartorell, 40, 1r, 3ª, 17003 Girona (Spain)
| | - Marina Rull
- Geoservei Projectes i Gestió Ambiental, S.L. OriolMartorell, 40, 1r, 3ª, 17003 Girona (Spain)
| | - Joan Solà
- Geoservei Projectes i Gestió Ambiental, S.L. OriolMartorell, 40, 1r, 3ª, 17003 Girona (Spain)
| | - Nuria Micola
- Agència Catalana de l'Aigua, c/ Provença 260, 08036 Barcelona (Spain)
| | - Josep Fraile
- Agència Catalana de l'Aigua, c/ Provença 260, 08036 Barcelona (Spain)
| | - Teresa Garrido
- Agència Catalana de l'Aigua, c/ Provença 260, 08036 Barcelona (Spain)
| | - Antoni Munné
- Agència Catalana de l'Aigua, c/ Provença 260, 08036 Barcelona (Spain)
| | - Albert Soler
- Grup MAiMA, SGR Mineralogia Aplicada, Geoquímica i Geomicrobiologia, SIMGEO UB-CSIC, Departament de Mineralogia, Petrologia i Geologia Aplicada, Facultat de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), C/Martí i Franquès s/n, 08028 Barcelona (Spain)
| | - Neus Otero
- Grup MAiMA, SGR Mineralogia Aplicada, Geoquímica i Geomicrobiologia, SIMGEO UB-CSIC, Departament de Mineralogia, Petrologia i Geologia Aplicada, Facultat de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), C/Martí i Franquès s/n, 08028 Barcelona (Spain); SerraHúnter Fellowship, Generalitat de Catalunya Barcelona (Spain)
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11
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Ballesté E, Demeter K, Masterson B, Timoneda N, Sala-Comorera L, Meijer WG. Implementation and integration of microbial source tracking in a river watershed monitoring plan. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 736:139573. [PMID: 32474276 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2020] [Revised: 05/17/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Fecal pollution of water bodies poses a serious threat for public health and ecosystems. Microbial source tracking (MST) is used to track the source of this pollution facilitating better management of pollution at the source. In this study we tested 12 MST markers to track human, ruminant, sheep, horse, pig and gull pollution to assess their usefulness as an effective management tool of water quality. First, the potential of the selected markers to track the source was evaluated using fresh fecal samples. Subsequently, we evaluated their performance in a catchment with different impacts, considering land use and environmental conditions. All MST markers showed high sensitivity and specificity, although none achieved 100% for both. Although some of the MST markers were detected in hosts other than the intended ones, their abundance in the target group was always several orders of magnitude higher than in the non-target hosts, demonstrating their suitability to distinguish between sources of pollution. The MST analysis matched the land use in the watershed allowing an accurate assessment of the main sources of pollution, in this case mainly human and ruminant pollution. Correlating environmental parameters including temperature and rainfall with MST markers provided insight into the dynamics of the pollution in the catchment. The levels of the human marker showed a significant negative correlation with rainfall in human polluted areas suggesting a dilution of the pollution, whereas at agricultural areas the ruminant marker increased with rainfall. There were no seasonal differences in the levels of human marker, indicating human pollution as a constant pressure throughout the year, whereas the levels of the ruminant marker was influenced by the seasons, being more abundant in summer and autumn. MST analysis integrated with land use and environmental data can improve the management of fecal polluted areas and set up best practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisenda Ballesté
- UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, UCD Earth Institute, UCD Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Katalin Demeter
- UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, UCD Earth Institute, UCD Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Bartholomew Masterson
- UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, UCD Earth Institute, UCD Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Natàlia Timoneda
- Computational Genomics Laboratory, Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Laura Sala-Comorera
- UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, UCD Earth Institute, UCD Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Wim G Meijer
- UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, UCD Earth Institute, UCD Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
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12
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Zhang Y, Wu R, Lin K, Wang Y, Lu J. Performance of host-associated genetic markers for microbial source tracking in China. WATER RESEARCH 2020; 175:115670. [PMID: 32171096 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.115670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2019] [Revised: 02/25/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Numerous genetic markers have been developed to establish microbial source tracking (MST) assays in the last decade. However, the selection of suitable markers is challenging due to a lack of understanding of fundamental factors such as sensitivity, specificity, and concentration in target/nontarget hosts, especially in East Asia. In this study, a total of 506 faecal samples comprised of human and 12 nonhuman hosts were collected from 28 cities across China and tested for marker performance characteristics. We firstly tested 40 host-associated markers based on a binary (presence/absence) criterion. Here, 15 markers (7 human-associated, 4 pig-associated, 3 ruminant-associated, and 1 poultry-associated) showed potential applicability in our study area. The selected 15 markers were then tested using qualitative and quantitative methods to characterise their performance. Overall, Bacteroidales markers presented higher sensitivity and concentrations in target samples compared to other bacterial or viral markers, but their specificity was low. Among nontarget samples, pets accounted for 43.7% and 35.7% of cross-reactivity with human-associated and poultry-associated markers, respectively. Noncommon animals, including horse and donkey, contributed 61.3% of cross-reactivity with ruminant-associated markers. When considering the quantitative distribution of markers, their concentration in nontarget samples were 1-3 orders of magnitude lower than in target samples. Moreover, a novel classification method was proposed to classify the nontarget hosts into four groups spanning "no cross-reactivity", "weak cross-reactivity", "moderate cross-reactivity", and "strong cross-reactivity" animal hosts. There were 77.9% nontarget samples identified as no cross-reactivity and weak cross-reactivity hosts, suggesting that these nontarget hosts produce little interference for corresponding markers. Our findings elucidate the performance of host-associated markers around China in a qualitative and quantitative manner, and reveal the interference degree of cross-reactivity from nontarget animals to genetic markers, which will facilitate tracking of multiple faecal pollution sources and planning timely remedial strategies in China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Zhang
- Department of Water Resources and Environment, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, PR China
| | - Renren Wu
- The Key Laboratory of Water and Air Pollution Control of Guangdong Province, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China, Guangzhou, 510000, PR China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Water Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China, Guangzhou, 510530, PR China.
| | - Kairong Lin
- Department of Water Resources and Environment, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, PR China.
| | - Yishu Wang
- The Key Laboratory of Water and Air Pollution Control of Guangdong Province, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China, Guangzhou, 510000, PR China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Water Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China, Guangzhou, 510530, PR China
| | - Junqing Lu
- The Key Laboratory of Water and Air Pollution Control of Guangdong Province, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China, Guangzhou, 510000, PR China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Water Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China, Guangzhou, 510530, PR China
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13
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Sánchez-Alfonso AC, Venegas C, Díez H, Méndez J, Blanch AR, Jofre J, Campos C. Microbial indicators and molecular markers used to differentiate the source of faecal pollution in the Bogotá River (Colombia). Int J Hyg Environ Health 2020; 225:113450. [PMID: 31962274 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2020.113450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Revised: 12/27/2019] [Accepted: 01/02/2020] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Intestinal pathogenic microorganisms are introduced into the water by means of faecal contamination, thus creating a threat to public health and to the environment. Detecting these contaminants has been difficult due to such an analysis being costly and time-intensive; as an alternative, microbiological indicators have been used for this purpose, although they cannot differentiate between human or animal sources of contamination because these indicators are part of the digestive tracts of both. To identify the sources of faecal pollution, the use of chemical, microbiological and molecular markers has been proposed. Currently available markers present some geographical specificity. The aim of this study was to select microbial and molecular markers that could be used to differentiate the sources of faecal pollution in the Bogotá River and to use them as tools for the evaluation and identification of the origin of discharges and for quality control of the water. In addition to existing microbial source markers, a phage host strain (PZ8) that differentiates porcine contamination was isolated from porcine intestinal content. The strain was identified biochemically and genotypically as Bacteroides. The use of this strain as a microbial source tracking indicator was evaluated in bovine and porcine slaughterhouse wastewaters, raw municipal wastewaters and the Bogotá River. The results obtained indicate that the selected microbial and molecular markers enable the determination of the source of faecal contamination in the Bogotá River by using different algorithms to develop prediction models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea C Sánchez-Alfonso
- Department of Microbiology, Pontifical Xavierian University, Carrera 7 No. 43 - 82, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Camilo Venegas
- Department of Microbiology, Pontifical Xavierian University, Carrera 7 No. 43 - 82, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Hugo Díez
- Department of Microbiology, Pontifical Xavierian University, Carrera 7 No. 43 - 82, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Javier Méndez
- Department of Microbiology, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Anicet R Blanch
- Department of Microbiology, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Joan Jofre
- Department of Microbiology, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Claudia Campos
- Department of Microbiology, Pontifical Xavierian University, Carrera 7 No. 43 - 82, Bogotá, Colombia
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14
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Ahmed W, Hamilton K, Toze S, Cook S, Page D. A review on microbial contaminants in stormwater runoff and outfalls: Potential health risks and mitigation strategies. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 692:1304-1321. [PMID: 31539962 PMCID: PMC7126443 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.07.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2019] [Revised: 06/27/2019] [Accepted: 07/04/2019] [Indexed: 04/14/2023]
Abstract
Demands on global water supplies are increasing in response to the need to provide more food, water, and energy for a rapidly growing population. These water stressors are exacerbated by climate change, as well as the growth and urbanisation of industry and commerce. Consequently, urban water authorities around the globe are exploring alternative water sources to meet ever-increasing demands. These alternative sources are primarily treated sewage, stormwater, and groundwater. Stormwater including roof-harvested rainwater has been considered as an alternative water source for both potable and non-potable uses. One of the most significant issues concerning alternative water reuse is the public health risk associated with chemical and microbial contaminants. Several studies to date have quantified fecal indicators and pathogens in stormwater. Microbial source tracking (MST) approaches have also been used to determine the sources of fecal contamination in stormwater and receiving waters. This review paper summarizes occurrence and concentrations of fecal indicators, pathogens, and MST marker genes in urban stormwater. A section of the review highlights the removal of fecal indicators and pathogens through water sensitive urban design (WSUD) or Best Management Practices (BMPs). We also discuss approaches for assessing and mitigating health risks associated with stormwater, including a summary of existing quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) models for potable and non-potable reuse of stormwater. Finally, the most critical research gaps are identified for formulating risk management strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Warish Ahmed
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Qld 4102, Australia.
| | - Kerry Hamilton
- Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Simon Toze
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Qld 4102, Australia
| | - Stephen Cook
- CSIRO Land and Water, Research way, Clayton South, VIC 3169, Australia
| | - Declan Page
- CSIRO Land and Water, Waite Laboratories, Waite Rd., Urrbrae, SA 5064, Australia
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15
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Somnark P, Chyerochana N, Kongprajug A, Mongkolsuk S, Sirikanchana K. PCR data and comparative performance of Bacteroidales microbial source tracking genetic markers. Data Brief 2018; 19:156-169. [PMID: 29892629 PMCID: PMC5992956 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2018.04.129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2018] [Revised: 04/20/2018] [Accepted: 04/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
We reported modified endpoint PCR results analyzed by universal and human-, swine-, and cattle-specific Bacteroidales gene markers with human sewage and animal fecal samples (i.e., swine, cattle, chicken, goat, sheep, buffalo, and duck) from Tha Chin and Chao Phraya watersheds. Annealing locations of PCR primers were illustrated by maps of 16s rRNA Bacteroidales genes. We also summarized previously published work on the performance of the PCR assays. For further discussion of the data presented here, please refer to Somnark et al., Performance evaluation of Bacteroidales genetic markers for human and animal microbial source tracking in tropical agricultural watersheds, Environ. Pollut. 236 (2018) 100–110.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pornjira Somnark
- Applied Biological Sciences, Chulabhorn Graduate Institute, Chulabhorn Royal Academy, Lak Si, Bangkok 10210 Thailand
| | - Natcha Chyerochana
- Research Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Lak Si, Bangkok 10210 Thailand
| | - Akechai Kongprajug
- Research Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Lak Si, Bangkok 10210 Thailand
| | - Skorn Mongkolsuk
- Research Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Lak Si, Bangkok 10210 Thailand.,Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400 Thailand.,Center of Excellence on Environmental Health and Toxicology (EHT), Ministry of Education, Bangkok 10210 Thailand
| | - Kwanrawee Sirikanchana
- Research Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Lak Si, Bangkok 10210 Thailand.,Center of Excellence on Environmental Health and Toxicology (EHT), Ministry of Education, Bangkok 10210 Thailand
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16
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Somnark P, Chyerochana N, Mongkolsuk S, Sirikanchana K. Performance evaluation of Bacteroidales genetic markers for human and animal microbial source tracking in tropical agricultural watersheds. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2018; 236:100-110. [PMID: 29414329 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2018.01.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2017] [Revised: 12/21/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Microbial source tracking (MST) DNA-based assays have been used to successfully solve fecal pollution problems in many countries, particularly in developed nations. However, their application in developing countries has been limited but continues to increase. In this study, sixteen endpoint and quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays targeting universal and human-, swine-, and cattle-specific Bacteroidales gene markers were modified for endpoint PCR, evaluated for their performance with sewage and fecal samples from the Tha Chin watershed and subsequently validated with samples from the Chao Phraya watershed, Thailand. Sample sizes of 81 composite samples (from over 1620 individual samples) of farm animals of each type as well as 19 human sewage samples from the Tha Chin watershed were calculated using a stratified random sampling design to achieve a 90% confidence interval and an expected prevalence (i.e., desired assay's sensitivity) of 0.80. The best universal and human-, swine-, and cattle-specific fecal markers were BacUni EP, HF183/BFDrev EP, Pig-2-Bac EP, and Bac3 assays, respectively. The detection limits for these assays ranged from 30 to 3000 plasmid copies per PCR. The positive predictive values were high in universal and swine- and cattle-specific markers (85-100%), while the positive predictive value of the human-specific assay was 52.2%. The negative predictive values in all assays were relatively high (90.8-100%). A suite of PCR assays in Thailand was established for potential MST use in environmental waters, which supports the worldwide applicability of Bacteroidales gene markers. This study also emphasizes the importance of using a proper sample size in assessing the performance of MST markers in a new geographic region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pornjira Somnark
- Applied Biological Sciences, Chulabhorn Graduate Institute, Chulabhorn Royal Academy, Lak Si, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Natcha Chyerochana
- Research Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Lak Si, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Skorn Mongkolsuk
- Research Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Lak Si, Bangkok, Thailand; Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand; Center of Excellence on Environmental Health and Toxicology (EHT), Ministry of Education, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Kwanrawee Sirikanchana
- Research Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Lak Si, Bangkok, Thailand; Center of Excellence on Environmental Health and Toxicology (EHT), Ministry of Education, Bangkok, Thailand.
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17
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Mayer R, Reischer GH, Ixenmaier SK, Derx J, Blaschke AP, Ebdon JE, Linke R, Egle L, Ahmed W, Blanch AR, Byamukama D, Savill M, Mushi D, Cristóbal HA, Edge TA, Schade MA, Aslan A, Brooks YM, Sommer R, Masago Y, Sato MI, Taylor HD, Rose JB, Wuertz S, Shanks OC, Piringer H, Mach RL, Savio D, Zessner M, Farnleitner AH. Global Distribution of Human-Associated Fecal Genetic Markers in Reference Samples from Six Continents. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2018; 52:5076-5084. [PMID: 29570973 PMCID: PMC5932593 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.7b04438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2017] [Revised: 03/09/2018] [Accepted: 03/23/2018] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Numerous bacterial genetic markers are available for the molecular detection of human sources of fecal pollution in environmental waters. However, widespread application is hindered by a lack of knowledge regarding geographical stability, limiting implementation to a small number of well-characterized regions. This study investigates the geographic distribution of five human-associated genetic markers (HF183/BFDrev, HF183/BacR287, BacHum-UCD, BacH, and Lachno2) in municipal wastewaters (raw and treated) from 29 urban and rural wastewater treatment plants (750-4 400 000 population equivalents) from 13 countries spanning six continents. In addition, genetic markers were tested against 280 human and nonhuman fecal samples from domesticated, agricultural and wild animal sources. Findings revealed that all genetic markers are present in consistently high concentrations in raw (median log10 7.2-8.0 marker equivalents (ME) 100 mL-1) and biologically treated wastewater samples (median log10 4.6-6.0 ME 100 mL-1) regardless of location and population. The false positive rates of the various markers in nonhuman fecal samples ranged from 5% to 47%. Results suggest that several genetic markers have considerable potential for measuring human-associated contamination in polluted environmental waters. This will be helpful in water quality monitoring, pollution modeling and health risk assessment (as demonstrated by QMRAcatch) to guide target-oriented water safety management across the globe.
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Affiliation(s)
- René
E. Mayer
- Research
Group Environmental Microbiology and Molecular
Diagnostics 166-5-3, Institute of Chemical, Environmental
and Bioscience Engineering, TU Wien, 1060 Vienna, Austria
- Interuniversity
Cooperation Centre Water & Health, Vienna, Austria
| | - Georg H. Reischer
- Research
Group Environmental Microbiology and Molecular
Diagnostics 166-5-3, Institute of Chemical, Environmental
and Bioscience Engineering, TU Wien, 1060 Vienna, Austria
- Molecular
Diagnostics Group, IFA-Tulln, Institute
of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, TU Wien, 3430 Tulln, Austria
| | - Simone K. Ixenmaier
- Research
Group Environmental Microbiology and Molecular
Diagnostics 166-5-3, Institute of Chemical, Environmental
and Bioscience Engineering, TU Wien, 1060 Vienna, Austria
- Interuniversity
Cooperation Centre Water & Health, Vienna, Austria
| | - Julia Derx
- Interuniversity
Cooperation Centre Water & Health, Vienna, Austria
- Institute of Hydraulic
Engineering and Water Resources Management, TU Wien, 1040 Vienna, Austria
| | - Alfred Paul Blaschke
- Interuniversity
Cooperation Centre Water & Health, Vienna, Austria
- Institute of Hydraulic
Engineering and Water Resources Management, TU Wien, 1040 Vienna, Austria
| | - James E. Ebdon
- Environment
& Public Health Research and Enterprise Group, School of Environment
and Technology, University of Brighton, BN2 4GJ Brighton, U.K.
| | - Rita Linke
- Research
Group Environmental Microbiology and Molecular
Diagnostics 166-5-3, Institute of Chemical, Environmental
and Bioscience Engineering, TU Wien, 1060 Vienna, Austria
- Interuniversity
Cooperation Centre Water & Health, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lukas Egle
- Institute for Water Quality
and Resource Management, TU Wien, 1040 Vienna, Austria
| | - Warish Ahmed
- CSIRO
Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Qld 4102, Australia
| | - Anicet R. Blanch
- Department
of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Denis Byamukama
- Department
of Biochemistry, Makerere University, P.O. Box 27755 Kampala, Uganda
| | - Marion Savill
- Affordable Water Limited, 1011 Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Douglas Mushi
- Department
of Biosciences, Sokoine University of Agriculture, PO BOX 3038, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Héctor A. Cristóbal
- Laboratorio
de Aguas y Suelos, Instituto de Investigaciones para la Industria
Química (INIQUI), Consejo Nacional
de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas and Universidad
Nacional de Salta, CP 4400 Salta, Argentina
| | - Thomas A. Edge
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canada Centre for Inland Waters, Burlington, L7S 1A1, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Asli Aslan
- Department
of Epidemiology and Environmental Health Sciences, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, 30460 Georgia, United States
| | - Yolanda M. Brooks
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University East Lansing, 48824 Michigan, United States
| | - Regina Sommer
- Interuniversity
Cooperation Centre Water & Health, Vienna, Austria
- Institute
for Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Water Hygiene, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Yoshifumi Masago
- New
Industry Creation Hatchery Center, Tohoku
University, 980-8579 Sendai, Japan
| | - Maria I. Sato
- Departamento
de Análises Ambientais, CETESB -
Cia. Ambiental do Estado de São Paulo, 05459-900 São
Paulo, Brasil
| | - Huw D. Taylor
- Environment
& Public Health Research and Enterprise Group, School of Environment
and Technology, University of Brighton, BN2 4GJ Brighton, U.K.
| | - Joan B. Rose
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University East Lansing, 48824 Michigan, United States
| | - Stefan Wuertz
- Singapore Centre
for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering and
School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 637551 Singapore
| | - Orin C. Shanks
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office
of Research and Development, 45268 Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
| | | | - Robert L. Mach
- Research Division Biochemical Technology, Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, TU Wien, 1060 Vienna, Austria
| | - Domenico Savio
- Division Water Quality and Health, Department Pharmacology, Physiology and Microbiology, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, 3500 Krems an der Donau, Austria
| | - Matthias Zessner
- Institute for Water Quality
and Resource Management, TU Wien, 1040 Vienna, Austria
| | - Andreas H. Farnleitner
- Research
Group Environmental Microbiology and Molecular
Diagnostics 166-5-3, Institute of Chemical, Environmental
and Bioscience Engineering, TU Wien, 1060 Vienna, Austria
- Interuniversity
Cooperation Centre Water & Health, Vienna, Austria
- Division Water Quality and Health, Department Pharmacology, Physiology and Microbiology, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, 3500 Krems an der Donau, Austria
- Phone: +43 664 605882244; e-mail:
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Napier MD, Haugland R, Poole C, Dufour AP, Stewart JR, Weber DJ, Varma M, Lavender JS, Wade TJ. Exposure to human-associated fecal indicators and self-reported illness among swimmers at recreational beaches: a cohort study. Environ Health 2017; 16:103. [PMID: 28969670 PMCID: PMC5625766 DOI: 10.1186/s12940-017-0308-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2017] [Accepted: 09/18/2017] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fecal indicator bacteria used to assess illness risks in recreational waters (e.g., Escherichia coli, Enterococci) cannot discriminate among pollution sources. To address this limitation, human-associated Bacteroides markers have been proposed, but the risk of illness associated with the presence of these markers in recreational waters is unclear. Our objective was to estimate associations between human-associated Bacteroides markers in water and self-reported illness among swimmers at 6 U.S. beaches spanning 2003-2007. METHODS We used data from a prospectively-enrolled cohort of 12,060 swimmers surveyed about beach activities and water exposure on the day of their beach visit. Ten to twelve days later, participants reported gastroinestinal, diarrheal, and respiratory illnesses experienced since the visit. Daily water samples were analyzed for the presence of human-associated Bacteroides genetic markers: HF183, BsteriF1, BuniF2, HumM2. We used model-based standardization to estimate risk differences (RD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). We assessed whether the presence of Bacteroides markers were modifiers of the association between general Enterococcus and illness among swimmers using interaction contrast. RESULTS Overall we observed inconsistent associations between the presence of Bacteroides markers and illness. There was a pattern of increased risks of gastrointestinal (RD = 1.9%; 95% CI: 0.1%, 3.7%), diarrheal (RD = 1.3%; 95% CI: -0.2%, 2.7%), and respiratory illnesses (RD = 1.1%; 95% CI: -0.2%, 2.5%) associated with BsteriF1. There was no evidence that Bacteroides markers acted as modifiers of Enterococcus and illness. Patterns were similar when stratified by water matrix. CONCLUSIONS Quantitative measures of fecal pollution using Bacteroides, rather than presence-absence indicators, may be necessary to accurately assess human risk specific to the presence of human fecal pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie D. Napier
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, 109 T.W. Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, 135 Dauer Drive, 2101 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, CB #7435, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 USA
| | - Richard Haugland
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Exposure Research Laboratory, 26 W. Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH USA
| | - Charles Poole
- Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, 135 Dauer Drive, 2101 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, CB #7435, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 USA
| | - Alfred P. Dufour
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Exposure Research Laboratory, 26 W. Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH USA
| | - Jill R. Stewart
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, 135 Dauer Drive, 166 Rosenau Hall, CB #7431, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 USA
| | - David J. Weber
- Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, 135 Dauer Drive, 2101 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, CB #7435, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina Health Care, Bioinformatics Building, 130 Mason Farm Road, 2nd Floor, CB#7030, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 USA
| | - Manju Varma
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Exposure Research Laboratory, 26 W. Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH USA
| | - Jennifer S. Lavender
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Exposure Research Laboratory, 26 W. Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH USA
| | - Timothy J. Wade
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, 109 T.W. Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 USA
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Yahya M, Blanch AR, Meijer WG, Antoniou K, Hmaied F, Ballesté E. Comparison of the Performance of Different Microbial Source Tracking Markers among European and North African Regions. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY 2017; 46:760-766. [PMID: 28783792 DOI: 10.2134/jeq2016.11.0432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Microbial source tracking (MST) has been extensively used to detect the sources of fecal pollution in water. The inclusion of MST in water management strategies improves the ecological status of the ecosystem and human and animal health under interdisciplinary analysis in all aspects of health care for humans, animals, and the environment (One Health approach). In this study, the performance of MST markers targeting host-specific Bacteroidales (HF183 and Rum-2-Bac) and species (HMBif and CWBif) were evaluated in raw sewage collected from human, ruminant, swine, and poultry sources in Tunisia, Cyprus, Ireland, and Spain. In addition, the ratio between somatic coliphages and bacteriophages infecting GA17 (SOMCPH/GA17PH) was measured in Tunisia and Spain. The obtained results showed variability of the bacterial markers between the four countries, suggesting that their usefulness could be affected by several conditions (dietary habits, agricultural practices, and climatic conditions) that differ between countries. The Rum-2-Bac marker stood out as a valid MST tool, particularly in Ireland, whereas CWBif was the best option in Tunisia, Spain, and Cyprus. The human-specific HMBif marker showed good sensitivity and specificity in Tunisia, Spain, and Ireland, whereas HF183 showed a low specificity. However, HF183 was suggested as a good human marker in Ireland and Cyprus because of its higher concentration than HMBif. Regarding viral markers, the ratio of SOMCPH/GA17PH showed a clear discrimination between human and nonhuman samples. The combined use of molecular bacterial markers and the ratio of SOMCPH/GA17PH may improve the success of MST.
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Nshimyimana JP, Cruz MC, Thompson RJ, Wuertz S. Bacteroidales markers for microbial source tracking in Southeast Asia. WATER RESEARCH 2017; 118:239-248. [PMID: 28433694 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2017.04.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2016] [Revised: 04/05/2017] [Accepted: 04/08/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The island city country of Singapore served as a model to validate the use of host-associated Bacteroidales 16S rRNA gene marker assays for identifying sources of fecal pollution in the urban tropical environment of Southeast Asia. A total of 295 samples were collected from sewage, humans, domesticated animals (cats, dogs, rabbits and chicken), and wild animals (birds, monkeys and wild boars). Samples were analyzed by real time PCR using five human-associated assays (HF183-SYBR Green, HF183, BacHum, BacH and B. thetaiotaomicron α-1-6, mannanase (B. theta), one canine-associated assay (BacCan), and a total Bacteroidales assay (BacUni). The best performing human-associated assay was B. theta with a diagnostic sensitivity of 69% and 100% in human stool and sewage, respectively, and a specificity of 98%. BacHum achieved the second highest sensitivity and specificity for human stool at 65% and 91%, respectively. The canine-associated Bacteroidales assay (BacCan) had a sensitivity and specificity above 80% and was validated for tracking fecal pollution from dogs. BacUni demonstrated a sensitivity and specificity of 100% for mammals, thus BacUni was confirmed for total Bacteroidales detection in the region. We showed for the first time that rabbit fecal samples cross-react with human-associated assays (HF183-SYBR Green, HF183, BacHum and BacH) and with BacCan. Our findings regarding the best performing human-associated assays differ from those reported in Bangladesh and India, which are geographically close to Southeast Asia, and where HF183 and BacHum were the preferred assays, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean Pierre Nshimyimana
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore; Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, NTU, 60 Nanyang Dr., Singapore, 637551, Singapore; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Centre for Environmental Sensing and Modeling, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, 1 Create Way, Singapore, 138602, Singapore
| | - Mercedes C Cruz
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, NTU, 60 Nanyang Dr., Singapore, 637551, Singapore
| | - R Janelle Thompson
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Centre for Environmental Sensing and Modeling, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, 1 Create Way, Singapore, 138602, Singapore
| | - Stefan Wuertz
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore; Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, NTU, 60 Nanyang Dr., Singapore, 637551, Singapore.
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Human-Associated Bacteroides spp. and Human Polyomaviruses as Microbial Source Tracking Markers in Hawaii. Appl Environ Microbiol 2016; 82:6757-6767. [PMID: 27613686 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01959-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2016] [Accepted: 09/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Identification of sources of fecal contaminants is needed to (i) determine the health risk associated with recreational water use and (ii) implement appropriate management practices to mitigate this risk and protect the environment. This study evaluated human-associated Bacteroides spp. (HF183TaqMan) and human polyomavirus (HPyV) markers for host sensitivity and specificity using human and animal fecal samples collected in Hawaii. The decay rates of those markers and indicator bacteria were identified in marine and freshwater microcosms exposed and not exposed to sunlight, followed by field testing of the usability of the molecular markers. Both markers were strongly associated with sewage, although the cross-reactivity of the HF183TaqMan (also present in 82% of canine [n = 11], 30% of mongoose [n = 10], and 10% of feline [n = 10] samples) needs to be considered. Concentrations of HF183TaqMan in human fecal samples exceeded those in cross-reactive animals at least 1,000-fold. In the absence of sunlight, the decay rates of both markers were comparable to the die-off rates of enterococci in experimental freshwater and marine water microcosms. However, in sunlight, the decay rates of both markers were significantly lower than the decay rate of enterococci. While both markers have their individual limitations in terms of sensitivity and specificity, these limitations can be mitigated by using both markers simultaneously; ergo, this study supports the concurrent use of HF183TaqMan and HPyV markers for the detection of sewage contamination in coastal and inland waters in Hawaii. IMPORTANCE This study represents an in-depth characterization of microbial source tracking (MST) markers in Hawaii. The distribution and concentrations of HF183TaqMan and HPyV markers in human and animal fecal samples and in wastewater, coupled with decay data obtained from sunlight-exposed and unexposed microcosms, support the concurrent application of HF183TaqMan and HPyV markers for sewage contamination detection in Hawaii waters. Both markers are more conservative and more specific markers of sewage than fecal indicator bacteria (enterococci and Escherichia coli). Analysis of HF183TaqMan (or newer derivatives) is recommended for inclusion in future epidemiological studies concerned with beach water quality, while better concentration techniques are needed for HPyV. Such epidemiological studies can be used to develop new recreational water quality criteria, which will provide direct information on the absence or presence of sewage contamination in water samples as well as reliable measurements of the risk of waterborne disease transmission to swimmers.
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Current Status of Marker Genes of Bacteroides and Related Taxa for Identifying Sewage Pollution in Environmental Waters. WATER 2016. [DOI: 10.3390/w8060231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Wade C, Otero E, Poon-Kwong B, Rozier R, Bachoon D. Detection of human-derived fecal contamination in Puerto Rico using carbamazepine, HF183 Bacteroides, and fecal indicator bacteria. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2015; 101:872-877. [PMID: 26586513 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.11.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2015] [Revised: 11/03/2015] [Accepted: 11/06/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The level of fecal pollution in 17 sites in Puerto Rico was determined by Escherichia coli (E.coli) enumeration using an enzyme substrate medium and Quanti-Tray®/2000. Human fecal pollution was identified using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of carbamazepine (CBZ) and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) detection of the human Bacteroides marker, HF183. Carbamazepine was detected in 16 out of 17 sites, including Condado Lagoon, a popular recreational area. Elevated E.coli levels (>410 CFU 100 mL(-1)) were detected in 13 sites. Average CBZ concentrations ranged from 0.005 μg L(-1) to 0.482 μg L(-1) and 7 sites were positive for HF183. Higher CBZ concentrations were associated with the detection of HF183 (Mann-Whitney test; U=42.0; df=7; 1-tailed P value=0.013). This was the second study to determine surface water concentrations of CBZ in the Caribbean and the first in Puerto Rico.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Wade
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus, P.O. Box 9013, Mayaguez, PR 00681, USA.
| | - Ernesto Otero
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus, P.O. Box 9013, Mayaguez, PR 00681, USA
| | - Brennan Poon-Kwong
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Georgia College and State University, Campus Box 81, Milledgeville, GA 31061-0490, USA
| | - Ralph Rozier
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Georgia College and State University, Campus Box 81, Milledgeville, GA 31061-0490, USA
| | - Dave Bachoon
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Georgia College and State University, Campus Box 81, Milledgeville, GA 31061-0490, USA
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Distributions of Fecal Markers in Wastewater from Different Climatic Zones for Human Fecal Pollution Tracking in Australian Surface Waters. Appl Environ Microbiol 2015; 82:1316-1323. [PMID: 26682850 DOI: 10.1128/aem.03765-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2015] [Accepted: 12/10/2015] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Recreational and potable water supplies polluted with human wastewater can pose a direct health risk to humans. Therefore, sensitive detection of human fecal pollution in environmental waters is very important to water quality authorities around the globe. Microbial source tracking (MST) utilizes human fecal markers (HFMs) to detect human wastewater pollution in environmental waters. The concentrations of these markers in raw wastewater are considered important because it is likely that a marker whose concentration is high in wastewater will be more frequently detected in polluted waters. In this study, quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays were used to determine the concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) Escherichia coli and Enterococcus spp., HFMs Bacteroides HF183, human adenoviruses (HAdVs), and polyomaviruses (HPyVs) in raw municipal wastewater influent from various climatic zones in Australia. E. coli mean concentrations in pooled human wastewater data sets (from various climatic zones) were the highest (3.2 × 10(6) gene copies per ml), followed by those of HF183 (8.0 × 10(5) gene copies per ml) and Enterococcus spp. (3.6 × 10(5) gene copies per ml). HAdV and HPyV concentrations were 2 to 3 orders of magnitude lower than those of FIB and HF183. Strong positive and negative correlations were observed between the FIB and HFM concentrations within and across wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). To identify the most sensitive marker of human fecal pollution, environmental water samples were seeded with raw human wastewater. The results from the seeding experiments indicated that Bacteroides HF183 was more sensitive for detecting human fecal pollution than HAdVs and HPyVs. Since the HF183 marker can occasionally be present in nontarget animal fecal samples, it is recommended that HF183 along with a viral marker (HAdVs or HPyVs) be used for tracking human fecal pollution in Australian environmental waters.
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Saxena G, Bharagava RN, Kaithwas G, Raj A. Microbial indicators, pathogens and methods for their monitoring in water environment. JOURNAL OF WATER AND HEALTH 2015; 13:319-39. [PMID: 26042966 DOI: 10.2166/wh.2014.275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Water is critical for life, but many people do not have access to clean and safe drinking water and die because of waterborne diseases. The analysis of drinking water for the presence of indicator microorganisms is key to determining microbiological quality and public health safety. However, drinking water-related illness outbreaks are still occurring worldwide. Moreover, different indicator microorganisms are being used in different countries as a tool for the microbiological examination of drinking water. Therefore, it becomes very important to understand the potentials and limitations of indicator microorganisms before implementing the guidelines and regulations designed by various regulatory agencies. This review provides updated information on traditional and alternative indicator microorganisms with merits and demerits in view of their role in managing the waterborne health risks as well as conventional and molecular methods proposed for monitoring of indicator and pathogenic microorganisms in the water environment. Further, the World Health Organization (WHO) water safety plan is emphasized in order to develop the better approaches designed to meet the requirements of safe drinking water supply for all mankind, which is one of the major challenges of the 21st century.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaurav Saxena
- Department of Environmental Microbiology (DEM), School for Environmental Sciences (SES), Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (A Central University), Vidya Vihar, Raebareli Road, Lucknow 226 025 UP, India E-mail:
| | - Ram Naresh Bharagava
- Department of Environmental Microbiology (DEM), School for Environmental Sciences (SES), Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (A Central University), Vidya Vihar, Raebareli Road, Lucknow 226 025 UP, India E-mail:
| | - Gaurav Kaithwas
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (DPS), School for Biosciences and Biotechnology (SBBT), Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (A Central University), Vidya Vihar, Raebareli Road, Lucknow 226 025 UP, India
| | - Abhay Raj
- Environmental Microbiology Section, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Post Box 80, M.G. Marg, Lucknow 226 001 UP, India
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Shahryari A, Nikaeen M, Khiadani Hajian M, Nabavi F, Hatamzadeh M, Hassanzadeh A. Applicability of universal Bacteroidales genetic marker for microbial monitoring of drinking water sources in comparison to conventional indicators. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2014; 186:7055-7062. [PMID: 25023746 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-014-3910-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2013] [Accepted: 06/30/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Water quality monitoring is essential for the provision of safe drinking water. In this study, we compared a selection of fecal indicators with universal Bacteroidales genetic marker to identify fecal pollution of a variety of drinking water sources. A total of 60 samples were collected from water sources. The microbiological parameters included total coliforms, fecal coliforms, Escherichia coli and fecal streptococci as the fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), Clostridium perfringens and H2S bacteria as alternative indicators, universal Bacteroidales genetic marker as a promising alternative fecal indicator, and Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., and E. coli O157 as pathogenic bacteria. From 60 samples analyzed, Bacteroidales was the most frequently detected indicator followed by total coliforms. However, the Bacteroidales assay failed to detect the marker in nine samples positive for FIB and other alternative indicators. The results of our study showed that the absence of Bacteroidales is not necessarily an evidence of fecal and pathogenic bacteria absence and may be unable to ensure the safety of the water. Further research, however, is required for a better understanding of the use of a Bacteroidales genetic marker as an indicator in water quality monitoring programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Shahryari
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Hezar Jerib Ave., Isfahan, Iran
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Nshimyimana JP, Ekklesia E, Shanahan P, Chua LHC, Thompson JR. Distribution and abundance of human-specific Bacteroides and relation to traditional indicators in an urban tropical catchment. J Appl Microbiol 2014; 116:1369-83. [PMID: 24460587 PMCID: PMC4271309 DOI: 10.1111/jam.12455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2013] [Revised: 01/20/2014] [Accepted: 01/21/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
AIMS The study goals were to determine the relationship between faecal indicator bacteria (FIB), the HF183 marker and land use, and the phylogenetic diversity of HF183 marker sequences in a tropical urban watershed. METHODS AND RESULTS Total coliforms, Escherichia coli, and HF183 were quantified in 81 samples categorized as undeveloped, residential and horticultural from the Kranji Reservoir and Catchment in Singapore. Quantitative-PCR for HF183 followed by analysis of variance indicated that horticultural areas had significantly higher geometric means for marker levels (4·3 × 10(4) HF183-GE 100 ml(-1)) than nonhorticultural areas (3·07 × 10(3) HF183-GE 100 ml(-1)). E. coli and HF183 were moderately correlated in horticultural areas (R = 0·59, P = 0·0077), but not elsewhere in the catchment. Initial upstream surveys of candidate sources revealed elevated HF183 in a wastewater treatment effluent but not in aquaculture ponds. The HF183 marker was cloned, sequenced and determined by phylogenetic analysis to match the original marker description. CONCLUSION We show that quantification of the HF183 marker is a useful tool for mapping the spatial distribution and potential sources of human sewage contamination in tropical environments such as Singapore. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT A major challenge for assessment of water quality in tropical environments is the natural occurrence and nonconservative behaviour of FIB. The HF183 marker has been employed in temperate environments as an alternative indicator for human sewage contamination. Our study supports the use of the HF183 marker as an indicator for human sewage in Singapore and motivates further work to determine HF183 marker levels that correspond to public health risk in tropical environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- J P Nshimyimana
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
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Improved HF183 quantitative real-time PCR assay for characterization of human fecal pollution in ambient surface water samples. Appl Environ Microbiol 2014; 80:3086-94. [PMID: 24610857 DOI: 10.1128/aem.04137-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 175] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assays that target the human-associated HF183 bacterial cluster within members of the genus Bacteroides are among the most widely used methods for the characterization of human fecal pollution in ambient surface waters. In this study, we show that a current TaqMan HF183 qPCR assay (HF183/BFDrev) routinely forms nonspecific amplification products and introduce a modified TaqMan assay (HF183/BacR287) that alleviates this problem. The performance of each qPCR assay was compared in head-to-head experiments investigating limits of detection, analytical precision, predicted hybridization to 16S rRNA gene sequences from a reference database, and relative marker concentrations in fecal and sewage samples. The performance of the modified HF183/BacR287 assay is equal to or improves upon that of the original HF183/BFDrev assay. In addition, a qPCR chemistry designed to combat amplification inhibition and a multiplexed internal amplification control are included. In light of the expanding use of PCR-based methods that rely on the detection of extremely low concentrations of DNA template, such as qPCR and digital PCR, the new TaqMan HF183/BacR287 assay should provide more accurate estimations of human-derived fecal contaminants in ambient surface waters.
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Drozd M, Merrick NN, Sanad YM, Dick LK, Dick WA, Rajashekara G. Evaluating the occurrence of host-specific , general fecal indicators, and bacterial pathogens in a mixed-use watershed. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY 2013; 42:713-725. [PMID: 23673938 DOI: 10.2134/jeq2012.0359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Fecal contamination of water is very common, and, in the United States, prevention is complicated by the colossal span of waterways (>3.5 million miles), heterogeneous sources of pollution, and competing interests in water monitoring. The focus of this study was the Upper Sugar Creek Watershed, a mixed-use watershed with many headwater streams and one of the most contaminated waterways in Ohio. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and host-specific PCR for were evaluated for the potential to discern sources of fecal contamination. Pathogen-specific qPCR and culturable by most probable number (MPN) were compared at 21 established water quality monitoring sites in the watershed headwaters. Lower numbers of ruminant-specific markers were detected in the base flow water samples compared with the human-specific marker, suggesting the presence of hotspots of human fecal contamination. qPCR and MPN showed significant correlation ( = 0.57; < 0.001). Correlation between general fecal indicator and pathogen concentrations was weak or nonexistent. Coexistence of and human-specific was common ( = 0.015). qPCR may have a greater potential for predicting fecal contamination due to its sensitivity, rapid analysis, and availability of host-specific assays. However, the lack of a strong correlation between pathogens and general fecal indicators suggests that assessment of health risk associated with fecal contamination will require a complement of approaches.
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Tracking the primary sources of fecal pollution in a tropical watershed in a one-year study. Appl Environ Microbiol 2013; 79:1689-96. [PMID: 23291547 DOI: 10.1128/aem.03070-12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
A study was conducted to determine the primary sources of fecal pollution in a subtropical watershed using host-specific assays developed in temperate regions. Water samples (n = 534) from 10 different sites along the Rio Grande de Arecibo (RGA) watershed were collected mostly on a weekly basis (54 sampling events) during 13 months. DNA extracts from water samples were used in PCR assays to determine the occurrence of fecal bacteria (Bacteroidales, Clostridium coccoides, and enterococci) and human-, cattle-, swine-, and chicken-specific fecal sources. Feces from 12 different animals (n = 340) and wastewater treatment samples (n = 16) were analyzed to determine the specificity and distribution of host-specific assays. The human-specific assay (HF183) was found to be highly specific, as it did not cross-react with nontarget samples. The cattle marker (CF128) cross-reacted to some extent with swine, chicken, and turkeys and was present in 64% of the cattle samples tested. The swine assays showed poor host specificity, while the three chicken assays showed poor host distribution. Differences in the detection of host-specific markers were noted per site. While human and cattle assays showed moderate average detection rates throughout the watershed, areas impacted by wastewater treatment plants and cattle exhibited the highest prevalence of these markers. When conditional probability for positive signals was determined for each of the markers, the results indicated higher confidence levels for the human assay and lower levels for all the other assays. Overall, the results from this study suggest that additional assays are needed, particularly to track cattle, chicken, and swine fecal pollution sources in the RGA watershed. The results also suggest that the geographic stability of genetic markers needs to be determined prior to conducting applied source tracking studies in tropical settings.
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Johnston C, Byappanahalli MN, Gibson JM, Ufnar JA, Whitman RL, Stewart JR. Probabilistic analysis showing that a combination of Bacteroides and Methanobrevibacter source tracking markers is effective for identifying waters contaminated by human fecal pollution. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2013; 47:13621-8. [PMID: 24182330 DOI: 10.1021/es403753k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Microbial source tracking assays to identify sources of waterborne contamination typically target genetic markers of host-specific microorganisms. However, no bacterial marker has been shown to be 100% host-specific, and cross-reactivity has been noted in studies evaluating known source samples. Using 485 challenge samples from 20 different human and animal fecal sources, this study evaluated microbial source tracking markers including the Bacteroides HF183 16S rRNA, M. smithii nifH, and Enterococcus esp gene targets that have been proposed as potential indicators of human fecal contamination. Bayes' Theorem was used to calculate the conditional probability that these markers or a combination of markers can correctly identify human sources of fecal pollution. All three human-associated markers were detected in 100% of the sewage samples analyzed. Bacteroides HF183 was the most effective marker for determining whether contamination was specifically from a human source, and greater than 98% certainty that contamination was from a human source was shown when both Bacteroides HF183 and M. smithii nifH markers were present. A high degree of certainty was attained even in cases where the prior probability of human fecal contamination was as low as 8.5%. The combination of Bacteroides HF183 and M. smithii nifH source tracking markers can help identify surface waters impacted by human fecal contamination, information useful for prioritizing restoration activities or assessing health risks from exposure to contaminated waters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Johnston
- Jardon and Howard Technologies Incorporated , Orlando, Florida 32826, United States
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Marine and Freshwater Fecal Indicators and Source Identification. Infect Dis (Lond) 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4614-5719-0_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
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Aslan A, Rose J. Evaluation of the host specificity of Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron
alpha-1-6, mannanase gene as a sewage marker. Lett Appl Microbiol 2012; 56:51-6. [DOI: 10.1111/lam.12013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2012] [Revised: 09/25/2012] [Accepted: 10/14/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- A. Aslan
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife; Michigan State University; East Lansing MI USA
| | - J.B. Rose
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife; Michigan State University; East Lansing MI USA
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Ahmed W, Masters N, Toze S. Consistency in the host specificity and host sensitivity of the Bacteroides HF183 marker for sewage pollution tracking. Lett Appl Microbiol 2012; 55:283-9. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1472-765x.2012.03291.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Association of fecal indicator bacteria with human viruses and microbial source tracking markers at coastal beaches impacted by nonpoint source pollution. Appl Environ Microbiol 2012; 78:6423-32. [PMID: 22773625 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00024-12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Water quality was assessed at two marine beaches in California by measuring the concentrations of culturable fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) and by library-independent microbial source tracking (MST) methods targeting markers of human-associated microbes (human polyomavirus [HPyV] PCR and quantitative PCR, Methanobrevibacter smithii PCR, and Bacteroides sp. strain HF183 PCR) and a human pathogen (adenovirus by nested PCR). FIB levels periodically exceeded regulatory thresholds at Doheny and Avalon Beaches for enterococci (28.5% and 31.7% of samples, respectively) and fecal coliforms (20% and 5.8%, respectively). Adenoviruses were detected at four of five sites at Doheny Beach and were correlated with detection of HPyVs and human Bacteroides HF183; however, adenoviruses were not detected at Avalon Beach. The most frequently detected human source marker at both beaches was Bacteroides HF183, which was detected in 27% of samples. Correlations between FIBs and human markers were much more frequent at Doheny Beach than at Avalon Beach; e.g., adenovirus was correlated with HPyVs and HF183. Human sewage markers and adenoviruses were routinely detected in samples meeting FIB regulatory standards. The toolbox approach of FIB measurement coupled with analysis of several MST markers targeting human pathogens used here demonstrated that human sewage is at least partly responsible for the degradation of water quality, particularly at Doheny Beach, and resulted in a more definitive assessment of recreational water quality and human health risk than reliance on FIB concentrations alone could have provided.
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Ahmed W, Sidhu JPS, Toze S. Evaluation of the nifH gene marker of Methanobrevibacter smithii for the detection of sewage pollution in environmental waters in Southeast Queensland, Australia. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2012; 46:543-550. [PMID: 22070524 DOI: 10.1021/es203372u] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed at evaluating the host-specificity and -sensitivity of the nifH gene marker of Methanobrevibacter smithii by screening 272 fecal and wastewater samples from 11 animal species including humans in Southeast Queensland (SEQ), Australia. In addition, environmental water samples (n = 21) were collected during the dry and wet weather conditions and tested for the presence of the nifH marker along with other sewage-associated markers, namely, enterococci surface protein (esp) found in Enterococci faecium, Bacteroides HF183, adenoviruses (AVs), and polyomaviruses (PVs). The overall host-specificity of the nifH marker to differentiate between human and animal feces was 0.96 (maximum value of 1), while the overall sensitivity of this marker in human sourced feces and wastewater was 0.81 (maximum value of 1). Among the 21 environmental water samples tested, 2 (10%), 3 (14%), 12 (57%), 6 (29%), and 6 (29%) were positive for the nifH, esp, HF183, AVs and PVs markers, respectively. The prevalence of the nifH marker in environmental water samples, however, was low compared to other markers, suggesting that the use of this marker alone may not be sensitive enough to detect fecal pollution in environmental waters. The nifH marker, however, appears to be sewage-specific in SEQ, Australia, and therefore, it is recommended that this marker should be used as an additional marker in combination with the HF183 or viral markers such as AVs or PVs for accurate and sensitive detection of fecal pollution in SEQ waterways.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Ahmed
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Qld 4102, Australia.
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Liu R, Chiang MHY, Lun CHI, Qian PY, Lau SCK. Host-specific 16S rRNA gene markers of Bacteroidales for source tracking of fecal pollution in the subtropical coastal seawater of Hong Kong. WATER RESEARCH 2010; 44:6164-6174. [PMID: 20705317 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2010.07.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2010] [Revised: 07/07/2010] [Accepted: 07/10/2010] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated the diversity of Bacteroidales communities in the feces of eight host species in Hong Kong (subtropical Asia), including human (in the form of sewage), cow, pig, horse, cat, dog, rabbit and rat. The analysis of terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP) in the 16S rRNA genes revealed significant differences in Bacteroidales communities among all host species, with the exception of dog and cat. Manual examination of TRFLP profiles resulted in six terminal restriction fragments (TRFs) that were potentially specific to the sewage (one TRF), cow (three TRFs) or pig (two TRFs) samples. All six TRFs were (1) present in 100% of the samples of the respective target host, (2) absent in other hosts or present only in low frequency and low intensity, and (3) verified for sizes using in silico digestion of DNA sequences in clone libraries. The six TRFs could reliably indicate the source of fecal contaminations in natural seawater amended with sewage, cow or pig fecal samples. In field tests conducted for two polluted and one unpolluted coastal site, the sewage-specific TRF was detected in all seawater samples of the sites known to be impacted by raw and treated sewage. However, only two of three cow-specific TRFs were detected for the two polluted sites, which also received fecal input from feral cows. No pig-specific TRF was detected, although one of the coastal sites was chronically polluted by pig farm run-offs. Nevertheless, the total absence of the six potentially host-specific TRFs in the seawater of an unpolluted site demonstrated the specificity of the TRFs as gene markers in indicating actual pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rulong Liu
- Division of Environment, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong
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Ahmed W, Yusuf R, Hasan I, Goonetilleke A, Gardner T. Quantitative PCR assay of sewage-associatedBacteroidesmarkers to assess sewage pollution in an urban lake in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Can J Microbiol 2010; 56:838-45. [DOI: 10.1139/w10-070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
This paper aimed to assess the magnitude of sewage pollution in an urban lake in Dhaka, Bangladesh, by using quantitative PCR of sewage-associated Bacteroides HF183 markers. PCR was also used for the quantitative detection of ruminant wastewater-associated CF128 markers along with the enumeration of traditional fecal indicator bacteria, namely enterococci. The number of enterococci in lake water samples ranged from 1.1 × 104to 1.9 × 105colony-forming units/100 mL water. From the 20 water samples tested, 14 (70%) and 7 (35%) were PCR positive for HF183 and CF128 markers, respectively. The numbers of HF183 and CF128 markers in lake water samples were 3.9 × 104to 6.3 × 107and 9.3 × 103to 6.3 × 105genomic units/100 mL water, respectively. The high numbers of enterococci and HF183 markers are indicative of sewage pollution and potential health risks to those who use the lake water for nonpotable purposes such as bathing and washing clothes. This is the first study that investigated the presence of microbial source tracking markers in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where diarrhoeal disease is one of the major causes of childhood mortality. The molecular assay used in this study can provide valuable information on the extent of sewage pollution, thus facilitating the development of robust strategies to minimize potential health risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Warish Ahmed
- Department of Environment and Resource Management, 80 Meiers Road, Indooroopilly, Brisbane 4068, Australia
- School of Environmental Science and Management, Independent University of Bangladesh, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Rajshahi University, Rajshahi 6205, Bangladesh
- School of Urban Development, Queensland University of Technology, G.P.O. Box 2434, Brisbane 4001, Australia
| | - Rita Yusuf
- Department of Environment and Resource Management, 80 Meiers Road, Indooroopilly, Brisbane 4068, Australia
- School of Environmental Science and Management, Independent University of Bangladesh, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Rajshahi University, Rajshahi 6205, Bangladesh
- School of Urban Development, Queensland University of Technology, G.P.O. Box 2434, Brisbane 4001, Australia
| | - Imtiaj Hasan
- Department of Environment and Resource Management, 80 Meiers Road, Indooroopilly, Brisbane 4068, Australia
- School of Environmental Science and Management, Independent University of Bangladesh, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Rajshahi University, Rajshahi 6205, Bangladesh
- School of Urban Development, Queensland University of Technology, G.P.O. Box 2434, Brisbane 4001, Australia
| | - Ashantha Goonetilleke
- Department of Environment and Resource Management, 80 Meiers Road, Indooroopilly, Brisbane 4068, Australia
- School of Environmental Science and Management, Independent University of Bangladesh, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Rajshahi University, Rajshahi 6205, Bangladesh
- School of Urban Development, Queensland University of Technology, G.P.O. Box 2434, Brisbane 4001, Australia
| | - Ted Gardner
- Department of Environment and Resource Management, 80 Meiers Road, Indooroopilly, Brisbane 4068, Australia
- School of Environmental Science and Management, Independent University of Bangladesh, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Rajshahi University, Rajshahi 6205, Bangladesh
- School of Urban Development, Queensland University of Technology, G.P.O. Box 2434, Brisbane 4001, Australia
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Ahmed W, Goonetilleke A, Gardner T. Human and bovine adenoviruses for the detection of source-specific fecal pollution in coastal waters in Australia. WATER RESEARCH 2010; 44:4662-73. [PMID: 20891037 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2010.05.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
In this study, the host-specificity and -sensitivity of human- and bovine-specific adenoviruses (HS-AVs and BS-AVs) were evaluated by testing wastewater/fecal samples from various animal species in Southeast, Queensland, Australia. The overall specificity and sensitivity of the HS-AVs marker were 1.0 and 0.78, respectively. These figures for the BS-AVs were 1.0 and 0.73, respectively. Twenty environmental water samples were collected during wet conditions and 20 samples were colleted during dry conditions from the Maroochy Coastal River and tested for the presence of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), host-specific viral markers, zoonotic bacterial and protozoan pathogens using PCR/qPCR. The concentrations of FIB in water samples collected after wet conditions were generally higher compared to dry conditions. HS-AVs was detected in 20% water samples collected during wet conditions and whereas BS-AVs was detected in both wet (i.e., 10%) and dry (i.e., 10%) conditions. Both Campylobacter jejuni mapA and Salmonella invA genes detected in 10% samples collected during dry conditions. The concentrations of Salmonella invA ranged between 3.5 × 10(2) and 4.3 × 10(2) genomic copies per 500 ml of water Giardia lamblia β-giardin gene was detected only in one sample (5%) collected during the dry conditions. Weak or significant correlations were observed between FIB with viral markers and zoonotic pathogens. However, during dry conditions, no significant correlations were observed between FIB concentrations with viral markers and zoonotic pathogens. The prevalence of HS-AVs in samples collected from the study river suggests that the quality of water is affected by human fecal pollution and as well as bovine fecal pollution. The results suggest that HS-AVs and BS-AVs detection using PCR could be a useful tool for the identification of human sourced fecal pollution in coastal waters.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Ahmed
- Department of Environment and Resource Management, 80 Meiers Road, Indooroopilly, Brisbane 4068, Australia.
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Ahmed W, Wan C, Goonetilleke A, Gardner T. Evaluating sewage-associated JCV and BKV polyomaviruses for sourcing human fecal pollution in a coastal river in Southeast Queensland, Australia. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY 2010; 39:1743-1750. [PMID: 21043279 DOI: 10.2134/jeq2010.0062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
In this study, the host-sensitivity and host-specificity of JC virus (JCV) and BK virus (BKV) polyomaviruses were evaluated by testing wastewater and fecal samples from nine host groups in Southeast Queensland, Australia. The JCV and BKV polyomaviruses were detected in 63 human wastewater samples collected from primary and secondary effluent, suggesting high sensitivity of these viruses in human wastewater. In the 81 animal wastewater and fecal samples tested, 80 were polymerase chain reaction (PCR) negative for the JCV and BKV markers. Only one sample (out of 81 animal wastewater and fecal samples) from pig wastewater was positive. Nonetheless, the overall host-specificity of these viruses to differentiate between human and animal wastewater and fecal samples was 0.99. To our knowledge, this is the first study in Australia that reports on the high specificity of JCV and BKV polyomaviruses. To evaluate the field application of these viral markers for detecting human fecal pollution, 20 environmental samples were collected from a coastal river. In the 20 samples tested, 15% (3/20) and 70% (14/20) samples exceeded the regulatory guidelines for Escherichia coli and enterococci levels for marine waters. In all, five (25%) samples were PCR positive for JCV and BKV, indicating the presence of human fecal pollution in the coastal river investigated. The results suggest that JCV and BKV detection using PCR could be a useful tool for identifying human-sourced fecal pollution in coastal waters.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Ahmed
- Dep. of Environment and Resource Management, 80 Meiers Rd., Indooroopilly, Brisbane, 4068, Australia.
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Lee CS, Lee J. Evaluation of new gyrB-based real-time PCR system for the detection of B. fragilis as an indicator of human-specific fecal contamination. J Microbiol Methods 2010; 82:311-8. [PMID: 20643165 DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2010.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2010] [Revised: 07/05/2010] [Accepted: 07/05/2010] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
A rapid and specific gyrB-based real-time PCR system has been developed for detecting Bacteroides fragilis as a human-specific marker of fecal contamination. Its specificity and sensitivity was evaluated by comparison with other 16S rRNA gene-based primers using closely related Bacteroides and Prevotella. Many studies have used 16S rRNA gene-based method targeting Bacteroides because this genus is relatively abundant in human feces and is useful for microbial source tracking. However, 16S rRNA gene-based primers are evolutionarily too conserved among taxa to discriminate between human-specific species of Bacteroides and other closely related genera, such as Prevotella. Recently, one of the housekeeping genes, gyrB, has been used as an alternative target in multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) to provide greater phylogenetic resolution. In this study, a new B. fragilis-specific primer set (Bf904F/Bf958R) was designed by alignments of 322 gyrB genes and was compared with the performance of the 16S rRNA gene-based primers in the presence of B. fragilis, Bacteroides ovatus and Prevotella melaninogenica. Amplicons were sequenced and a phylogenetic tree was constructed to confirm the specificity of the primers to B. fragilis. The gyrB-based primers successfully discriminated B. fragilis from B. ovatus and P. melaninogenica. Real-time PCR results showed that the gyrB primer set had a comparable sensitivity in the detection of B. fragilis when compared with the 16S rRNA primer set. The host-specificity of our gyrB-based primer set was validated with human, pig, cow, and dog fecal samples. The gyrB primer system had superior human-specificity. The gyrB-based system can rapidly detect human-specific fecal source and can be used for improved source tracking of human contamination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang Soo Lee
- College of Public Health, Division of Environmental Health Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
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Molecular indicators used in the development of predictive models for microbial source tracking. Appl Environ Microbiol 2010; 76:1789-95. [PMID: 20118380 DOI: 10.1128/aem.02350-09] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
A number of chemical, microbial, and eukaryotic indicators have been proposed as indicators of fecal pollution sources in water bodies. No single one of the indicators tested to date has been able to determine the source of fecal pollution in water. However, the combined use of different indicators has been demonstrated to be the best way of defining predictive models suitable for determining fecal pollution sources. Molecular methods are promising tools that could complement standard microbiological water analysis. In this study, the feasibility of some proposed molecular indicators for microbial source tracking (MST) was compared (names of markers are in parentheses): host-specific Bacteroidetes (HF134, HF183, CF128, and CF193), Bifidobacterium adolescentis (ADO), Bifidobacterium dentium (DEN), the gene esp of Enterococcus faecium, and host-specific mitochondrial DNA associated with humans, cattle, and pigs (Humito, Bomito, and Pomito, respectively). None of the individual molecular markers tested enabled 100% source identification. They should be combined with other markers to raise sensitivity and specificity and increase the number of sources that are identified. MST predictive models using only these molecular markers were developed. The models were evaluated by considering the lowest number of molecular indicators needed to obtain the highest rate of identification of fecal sources. The combined use of three molecular markers (ADO, Bomito, and Pomito) enabled correct identification of 75.7% of the samples, with differentiation between human, swine, bovine, and poultry sources. Discrimination between human and nonhuman fecal pollution was possible using two markers: ADO and Pomito (84.6% correct identification). The percentage of correct identification increased with the number of markers analyzed. The best predictive model for distinguishing human from nonhuman fecal sources was based on 5 molecular markers (HF134, ADO, DEN, Bomito, and Pomito) and provided 90.1% correct classification.
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Ahmed W, Sawant S, Huygens F, Goonetilleke A, Gardner T. Prevalence and occurrence of zoonotic bacterial pathogens in surface waters determined by quantitative PCR. WATER RESEARCH 2009; 43:4918-4928. [PMID: 19631959 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2009.03.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2009] [Revised: 03/23/2009] [Accepted: 03/26/2009] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
The prevalence and concentrations of Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella spp. and enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) were investigated in surface waters in Brisbane, Australia using quantitative PCR (qPCR) based methodologies. Water samples were collected from Brisbane City Botanic Gardens (CBG) Pond, and two urban tidal creeks (i.e., Oxley Creek and Blunder Creek). Of the 32 water samples collected, 8 (25%), 1 (3%), 9 (28%), 14 (44%), and 15 (47%) were positive for C. jejuni mapA, Salmonella invA, EHEC O157 LPS, EHEC VT1, and EHEC VT2 genes, respectively. The presence/absence of the potential pathogens did not correlate with either E. coli or enterococci concentrations as determined by binary logistic regression. In conclusion, the high prevalence, and concentrations of potential zoonotic pathogens along with the concentrations of one or more fecal indicators in surface water samples indicate a poor level of microbial quality of surface water, and could represent a significant health risk to users. The results from the current study would provide valuable information to the water quality managers in terms of minimizing the risk from pathogens in surface waters.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Ahmed
- Department of Natural Resources and Water, 80 Meiers Road, Indooroopilly, Brisbane 4068, Australia.
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Harwood VJ, Brownell M, Wang S, Lepo J, Ellender RD, Ajidahun A, Hellein KN, Kennedy E, Ye X, Flood C. Validation and field testing of library-independent microbial source tracking methods in the Gulf of Mexico. WATER RESEARCH 2009; 43:4812-4819. [PMID: 19595426 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2009.06.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2009] [Revised: 06/02/2009] [Accepted: 06/04/2009] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Water quality is frequently impacted by microbial pollution from human and animal feces. Microbial source tracking (MST) can identify dominant pollution sources and improve assessment of health risk compared to indicator bacteria alone. This study aims to standardize and validate MST methods across laboratories in coastal Gulf of Mexico states. Three laboratories evaluated library-independent MST methods for human sewage detection via conventional PCR: (1) human-associated Bacteroidales, (2) human polyomaviruses (HPyVs), and (3) Methanobrevibacter smithii. All methods detected targets in human sewage seeded into buffer, freshwater or marine water (100% sensitivity). The limit of detection (LOD) for human sewage was lowest for the Bacteroidales assay (10(-5)-10(-6) dilution). LODs for HPyVs and M. smithii assays were similar to each other (10(-3)-10(-4)), but were higher than Bacteroidales. The HPyVs assay was 100% specific, showing no cross-reactivity to dog, cow, cat, bird, or wild animal feces among >300 samples from three Gulf Coast regions. The human Bacteroidales assay was 96% specific, but cross-reacted with 10% of dog and some chicken samples. The M. smithii assay was 98% specific with limited cross-reactivity with cow, dog and seagull samples. An experts' workshop concluded that all methods showed sufficient accuracy and reliability to move forward. SOPs will be distributed to collaborating laboratories for further inter-laboratory comparison, and field validation will occur in year 2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerie J Harwood
- University of South Florida, Department of Integrative Biology SCA110, 4202 E. Fowler, Tampa, FL 33620, USA.
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Jenkins MW, Tiwari S, Lorente M, Gichaba CM, Wuertz S. Identifying human and livestock sources of fecal contamination in Kenya with host-specific Bacteroidales assays. WATER RESEARCH 2009; 43:4956-4966. [PMID: 19692107 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2009.07.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2008] [Revised: 05/12/2009] [Accepted: 07/20/2009] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Microbial source tracking to distinguish between human, livestock and wildlife fecal pollution using molecular techniques is a rapidly evolving approach in many developed countries, but has not previously been applied on the African continent. DNA extracts from cow, donkey, and human fecal specimens and raw domestic sewage samples collected in Kenya were tested against five existing quantitative PCR assays designed to detect universal (2), human-specific (2), and cow-specific (1) fecal Bacteroidales genetic markers. Water samples from the River Njoro in Kenya were evaluated using the five tested Bacteroidales markers and a multi-species assay for Cryptosporidium in a preliminary exploration of fecal pollution sources and health risks in this watershed. Diagnostic sensitivity on the validation set varied from 18 to 100% for the five assays while diagnostic specificity was 100%. Of the 2 universal assays, Total Bacteroidales [Dick, L.K, Field, K.G., 2004. Rapid estimation of numbers of fecal Bacteroidetes by use of a quantitative PCR assay for 16S rRNA genes. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 70, 5695-5697] showed lower generic fecal diagnostic sensitivity, at 55%, than BacUni-UCD, at 100%, in detecting fecal markers on the 42-sample validation set. Human-specific assay HF183 demonstrated 65% sensitivity overall, and 80% on the human sewage samples, compared to 18% overall and 0% sewage for human-specific assay BacHum-UCD. Cow-specific assay BacCow-UCD had 94% sensitivity. Testing of 18 water samples indicates cows are a likely predominant source of fecal contamination in the Njoro Watershed (78% prevailing rate). Probabilistic assessment of human assay results indicates at most three of the river water samples contained human Bacteroidales. Cryptosporidium spp. markers were detected in samples from nine of the 12 sampling locations. Evidence suggesting widespread contamination by cow feces and Cryptosporidium in the Njoro watershed raises serious concerns for human and animal health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion W Jenkins
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California at Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
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Ahmed W, Goonetilleke A, Powell D, Chauhan K, Gardner T. Comparison of molecular markers to detect fresh sewage in environmental waters. WATER RESEARCH 2009; 43:4908-17. [PMID: 19818987 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2009.09.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2009] [Revised: 07/26/2009] [Accepted: 09/17/2009] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Human-specific Bacteroides HF183 (HS-HF183), human-specific Enterococci faecium esp (HS-esp), human-specific adenoviruses (HS-AVs) and human-specific polyomaviruses (HS-PVs) assays were evaluated in freshwater, seawater and distilled water to detect fresh sewage. The sewage spiked water samples were also tested for the concentrations of traditional fecal indicators (i.e., Escherichia coli, enterococci and Clostridium perfringens) and enteric viruses such as enteroviruses (EVs), sapoviruses (SVs), and torquetenoviruses (TVs). The overall host-specificity of the HS-HF183 marker to differentiate between humans and other animals was 98%. However, the HS-esp, HS-AVs and HS-PVs showed 100% host-specificity. All the human-specific markers showed >97% sensitivity to detect human fecal pollution. E. coli, enterococci and, C. perfringens were detected up to dilutions of sewage 10(-5), 10(-4) and 10(-3) respectively. HS-esp, HS-AVs, HS-PVs, SVs and TVs were detected up to dilution of sewage 10(-4) whilst EVs were detected up to dilution 10(-5). The ability of the HS-HF183 marker to detect fresh sewage was 3-4 orders of magnitude higher than that of the HS-esp and viral markers. The ability to detect fresh sewage in freshwater, seawater and distilled water matrices was similar for human-specific bacterial and viral marker. Based on our data, it appears that human-specific molecular markers are sensitive measures of fresh sewage pollution, and the HS-HF183 marker appears to be the most sensitive among these markers in terms of detecting fresh sewage. However, the presence of the HS-HF183 marker in environmental waters may not necessarily indicate the presence of enteric viruses due to their high abundance in sewage compared to enteric viruses. More research is required on the persistency of these markers in environmental water samples in relation to traditional fecal indicators and enteric pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Ahmed
- Department of Natural Resources and Water, 80 Meiers Road, Indooroopilly, Brisbane 4068, Australia.
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Ahmed W, Goonetilleke A, Powell D, Gardner T. Evaluation of multiple sewage-associated Bacteroides PCR markers for sewage pollution tracking. WATER RESEARCH 2009; 43:4872-7. [PMID: 19783274 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2009.08.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2009] [Revised: 08/20/2009] [Accepted: 08/30/2009] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The host specificity of the five published sewage-associated Bacteroides markers (i.e., HF183, BacHum, HuBac, BacH and Human-Bac) was evaluated in Southeast Queensland, Australia by testing fecal DNA samples (n=186) from 11 animal species including human fecal samples collected via influent to a sewage treatment plant (STP). All human fecal samples (n=50) were positive for all five markers indicating 100% sensitivity of these markers. The overall specificity of the HF183 markers to differentiate between humans and animals was 99%. The specificities of the BacHum and BacH markers were>94%, suggesting that these markers are suitable for the detection of sewage pollution in environmental waters in Australia. The HuBac (i.e., 63%) and Human-Bac (i.e., 79% specificity) markers performed poorly in distinguishing between the sources of human and animal fecal samples. It is recommended that the specificity of the sewage-associated markers must be rigorously tested prior to its application to identify the sources of fecal pollution in environmental waters.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Ahmed
- Department of Natural Resources and Water, 80 Meiers Road, Indooroopilly, Sunshine Coast, QLD 4558, Brisbane 4068, Australia.
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Albuquerque P, Mendes MV, Santos CL, Moradas-Ferreira P, Tavares F. DNA signature-based approaches for bacterial detection and identification. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2009; 407:3641-51. [PMID: 19062077 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2008.10.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2008] [Revised: 10/21/2008] [Accepted: 10/23/2008] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
During the late eighties, environmental microbiologists realized the potential of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the design of innovative approaches to study microbial communities or to detect and identify microorganisms in diverse and complex environments. In contrast to long-established methods of cultivation-based microbial identification, PCR-based techniques allow for the identification of microorganisms regardless of their culturability. A large number of reports have been published that describe PCR-inspired methods, frequently complemented by sequencing or hybridization profiling, to infer taxonomic and clonal microbial diversity or to detect and identify microorganisms using taxa-specific genomic markers. Typing methods have been particularly useful for microbial ecology-driven studies; however, they are not suitable for diagnostic purposes, such as the detection of specific species, strains or clones. Recently, comprehensive reviews have been written describing the panoply of typing methods available and describing their advantages and limitations; however, molecular approaches for bacterial detection and identification were either not considered or only vaguely discussed. This review focuses on DNA-based methods for bacterial detection and identification, highlighting strategies for selecting taxa-specific loci and emphasizing the molecular techniques and emerging technological solutions for increasing the detection specificity and sensitivity. The massive and increasing number of available bacterial sequences in databases, together with already employed bioinformatics tools, hold promise of more reliable, fast and cost-effective methods for bacterial identification in a wide range of samples in coming years. This tendency will foster the validation and certification of these methods and their routine implementation by certified diagnostic laboratories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Albuquerque
- IBMC-Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Portugal
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McQuaig SM, Scott TM, Lukasik JO, Paul JH, Harwood VJ. Quantification of human polyomaviruses JC Virus and BK Virus by TaqMan quantitative PCR and comparison to other water quality indicators in water and fecal samples. Appl Environ Microbiol 2009; 75:3379-88. [PMID: 19346361 PMCID: PMC2687276 DOI: 10.1128/aem.02302-08] [Citation(s) in RCA: 176] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2008] [Accepted: 03/24/2009] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In the United States, total maximum daily load standards for bodies of water that do not meet bacterial water quality standards are set by each state. The presence of human polyomaviruses (HPyVs) can be used as an indicator of human-associated sewage pollution in these waters. We have developed and optimized a TaqMan quantitative PCR (QPCR) assay based on the conserved T antigen to both quantify and simultaneously detect two HPyVs; JC virus and BK virus. The QPCR assay was able to consistently quantify > or =10 gene copies per reaction and is linear over 5 orders of magnitude. HPyVs were consistently detected in human waste samples (57 of 64) and environmental waters with known human fecal contamination (5 of 5) and were not amplified in DNA extracted from 127 animal waste samples from 14 species. HPyV concentrations in sewage decreased 81.2 and 84.2% over 28 days incubation at 25 and 35 degrees C, respectively. HPyVs results were compared to Escherichia coli, fecal coliform, and enterococci concentrations and the presence of three other human-associated microbes: Bacteroidetes, Methanobrevibacter smithii, and adenovirus. HPyVs were the most frequently detected of these in human and contaminated environmental samples and were more human specific than the Bacteroidetes (HF183) or M. smithii. HPyVs and M. smithii more closely mimicked the persistence of adenovirus in sewage than the other microbes. The use of this rapid and quantitative assay in water quality research could help regulatory agencies to identify sources of water pollution for improved remediation of contaminated waters and ultimately protect humans from exposure to pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon M McQuaig
- Department of Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, 33620, USA
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Korajkic A, Badgley BD, Brownell MJ, Harwood VJ. Application of microbial source tracking methods in a Gulf of Mexico field setting. J Appl Microbiol 2009; 107:1518-27. [PMID: 19457032 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.2009.04351.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
AIMS Microbial water quality and possible human sources of faecal pollution were assessed in a Florida estuary that serves shellfishing and recreational activities. METHODS AND RESULTS Indicator organisms (IO), including faecal coliforms, Escherichia coli and enterococci, were quantified from marine and river waters, sediments and oysters. Florida recreational water standards were infrequently exceeded (6-10% of samples); however, shellfishing standards were more frequently exceeded (28%). IO concentrations in oysters and overlaying waters were significantly correlated, but oyster and sediment IO concentrations were uncorrelated. The human-associated esp gene of Enterococcus faecium was detected in marine and fresh waters at sites with suspected human sewage contamination. Lagrangian drifters, used to determine the pathways of bacterial transport and deposition, suggested that sediment deposition from the Ochlockonee River contributes to frequent detection of esp at a Gulf of Mexico beach. CONCLUSIONS These data indicate that human faecal pollution affects water quality in Wakulla County and that local topography and hydrology play a role in bacterial transport and deposition. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY A combination of IO enumeration, microbial source tracking methods and regional hydrological study can reliably inform regulatory agencies of IO sources, improving risk assessment and pollution mitigation in impaired waters.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Korajkic
- Department of Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
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