1
|
Tamai S, Suzuki Y. Diversity of Fecal Indicator Enterococci among Different Hosts: Importance to Water Contamination Source Tracking. Microorganisms 2023; 11:2981. [PMID: 38138125 PMCID: PMC10745335 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11122981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Enterococcus spp. are common bacteria present in the intestinal tracts of animals and are used as fecal indicators in aquatic environments. On the other hand, enterococci are also known as opportunistic pathogens. Elucidating their composition in the intestinal tracts of domestic animals can assist in estimating the sources of fecal contamination in aquatic environments. However, information on the species and composition of enterococci in animal hosts (except humans) is still lacking. In this study, enterococci were isolated from the feces of cattle, pigs, birds, and humans using selective media. Enterococcal species were identified using mass spectrometry technology, and each host was characterized by diversity and cluster analysis. The most dominant species were E. hirae in cattle, E. faecium in birds, and E. faecalis in pigs and humans. Cattle had the highest alpha diversity, with high interindividual and livestock farm diversity. The dominant enterococcal species in pigs and humans were identical, and cluster analysis showed that the majority of the two hosts' species clustered together.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Yoshihiro Suzuki
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki 889-2192, Japan;
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Devane ML, Taylor W, Dupont PY, Armstrong B, Weaver L, Gilpin BJ. Exploring the Bacterial Community in Aged Fecal Sources from Dairy Cows: Impacts on Fecal Source Tracking. Microorganisms 2023; 11:1161. [PMID: 37317135 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11051161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: This paper discusses the impact of agricultural activities on stream health, particularly in relation to dairy cow fecal pollution. The study explores the fecal microbiome of cattle and the potential ecological implications of aging fecal pollution on waterways. (2) Methods: The study examines changes in the bacterial community available for mobilization from in-situ decomposing cowpats and the effects of simulated rainfall. The microbiome of individual cowpats was monitored over 5.5 months. We used 16S rRNA metagenomics and machine learning software, FEAST (Fast Expectation-mAximization for microbial Source Tracking), for bacterial and fecal source assignments. (3) Results: The phyla Bacillota and Bacteroidota are dominant in the fecal microbiota of fresh cow feces but shift to Pseudomonodota, Actinomycetota, and environmental Bacteroidota in aged cowpats. Potential impacts of these bacterial community shifts on inputs to local agricultural streams are discussed in relation to water quality monitoring and aging sources of fecal contamination. We identified taxon orders that are potential indicators of fresh cattle sources (Oscillospirales and Bacteroidales) and aged sources (Peptostreptococcales-Tissierellales) in water bodies. (4) The paper highlights that bacterial metagenomic profiling can inform our understanding of the ecology of microbial communities in aquatic environments and the potential impacts of agricultural activities on ecosystem health.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Megan L Devane
- Health and Environment Group, Institute of Environmental Science and Research, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
| | - William Taylor
- Health and Environment Group, Institute of Environmental Science and Research, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
| | - Pierre-Yves Dupont
- Health and Environment Group, Institute of Environmental Science and Research, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
| | - Bridget Armstrong
- Health and Environment Group, Institute of Environmental Science and Research, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
| | - Louise Weaver
- Health and Environment Group, Institute of Environmental Science and Research, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
| | - Brent J Gilpin
- Health and Environment Group, Institute of Environmental Science and Research, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Zhu K, Suttner B, Knee J, Capone D, Moe CL, Stauber CE, Konstantinidis KT, Wallach TE, Pickering AJ, Brown J. Elevated Fecal Mitochondrial DNA from Symptomatic Norovirus Infections Suggests Potential Health Relevance of Human Mitochondrial DNA in Fecal Source Tracking. Environ Sci Technol Lett 2022; 9:543-550. [PMID: 35719858 PMCID: PMC9202355 DOI: 10.1021/acs.estlett.2c00140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Revised: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
An end goal of fecal source tracking (FST) is to provide information on risk of transmission of waterborne illnesses associated with fecal contamination. Ideally, concentrations of FST markers in ambient waters would reflect exposure risk. Human mtDNA is an FST marker that is exclusively human in origin and may be elevated in feces of individuals experiencing gastrointestinal inflammation. In this study, we examined whether human mtDNA is elevated in fecal samples from individuals with symptomatic norovirus infections using samples from the United States (US), Mozambique, and Bangladesh. We quantified hCYTB484 (human mtDNA) and HF183/BacR287 (human-associated Bacteroides) FST markers using droplet digital polymerase chain reaction. We observed the greatest difference in concentrations of hCYTB484 when comparing samples from individuals with symptomatic norovirus infections versus individuals without norovirus infections or diarrhea symptoms: log10 increase of 1.42 in US samples (3,820% increase, p-value = 0.062), 0.49 in Mozambique (308% increase, p-value = 0.061), and 0.86 in Bangladesh (648% increase, p-value = 0.035). We did not observe any trends in concentrations of HF183/BacR287 in the same samples. These results suggest concentrations of fecal mtDNA may increase during symptomatic norovirus infection and that mtDNA in environmental samples may represent an unambiguously human source-tracking marker that correlates with enteric pathogen exposure risk.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kevin
J. Zhu
- School
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Brittany Suttner
- School
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Jackie Knee
- Department
of Disease Control, London School of Hygiene
and Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT,United Kingdom
| | - Drew Capone
- Department
of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global
Public Health, University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill, Chapel
Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Christine L. Moe
- Center
for Global Safe Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene, Rollins School of
Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, United States
| | - Christine E. Stauber
- Department
of Population Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30302, United States
| | - Kostas T. Konstantinidis
- School
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Thomas E. Wallach
- Division
of Pediatric Gastroenterology, SUNY Downstate
Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, New York 11203, United States
| | - Amy J. Pickering
- Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Joe Brown
- Department
of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global
Public Health, University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill, Chapel
Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Ji Z, Wang XC, Xu L, Zhang C, Rong C, Rachmadi AT, Amarasiri M, Okabe S, Funamizu N, Sano D. Fecal Source Tracking in A Wastewater Treatment and Reclamation System Using Multiple Waterborne Gastroenteritis Viruses. Pathogens 2019; 8:E170. [PMID: 31574994 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens8040170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2019] [Revised: 09/26/2019] [Accepted: 09/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Gastroenteritis viruses in wastewater reclamation systems can pose a major threat to public health. In this study, multiple gastroenteritis viruses were detected from wastewater to estimate the viral contamination sources in a wastewater treatment and reclamation system installed in a suburb of Xi'an city, China. Reverse transcription plus nested or semi-nested PCR, followed by sequencing and phylogenetic analysis, were used for detection and genotyping of noroviruses and rotaviruses. As a result, 91.7% (22/24) of raw sewage samples, 70.8% (17/24) of the wastewater samples treated by anaerobic/anoxic/oxic (A2O) process and 62.5% (15/24) of lake water samples were positive for at least one of target gastroenteritis viruses while all samples collected from membrane bioreactor effluent after free chlorine disinfection were negative. Sequence analyses of the PCR products revealed that epidemiologically minor strains of norovirus GI (GI/14) and GII (GII/13) were frequently detected in the system. Considering virus concentration in the disinfected MBR effluent which is used as the source of lake water is below the detection limit, these results indicate that artificial lake may be contaminated from sources other than the wastewater reclamation system, which may include aerosols, and there is a possible norovirus infection risk by exposure through reclaimed water usage and by onshore winds transporting aerosols containing norovirus.
Collapse
|
5
|
Knappett PSK, Escamilla V, Layton A, McKay LD, Emch M, Williams DE, Huq R, Alam J, Farhana L, Mailloux BJ, Ferguson A, Sayler GS, Ahmed KM, van Geen A. Impact of population and latrines on fecal contamination of ponds in rural Bangladesh. Sci Total Environ 2011; 409:3174-82. [PMID: 21632095 PMCID: PMC3150537 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2011.04.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2010] [Revised: 04/07/2011] [Accepted: 04/25/2011] [Indexed: 04/14/2023]
Abstract
A majority of households in Bangladesh rely on pond water for hygiene. Exposure to pond water fecal contamination could therefore still contribute to diarrheal disease despite the installation of numerous tubewells for drinking. The objectives of this study are to determine the predominant sources (human or livestock) of fecal pollution in ponds and examine the association between local population, latrine density, latrine quality and concentrations of fecal bacteria and pathogens in pond water. Forty-three ponds were analyzed for E. coli using culture-based methods and E. coli, Bacteroidales and adenovirus using quantitative PCR. Population and sanitation spatial data were collected and measured against pond fecal contamination. Humans were the dominant source of fecal contamination in 79% of the ponds according to Bacteroidales measurements. Ponds directly receiving latrine effluent had the highest concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria (up to 10⁶ Most Probable Number (MPN) of culturable E. coli per 100 mL). Concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria correlated with population surveyed within a distance of 30-70 m (p<0.05) and total latrines surveyed within 50-70 m (p<0.05). Unsanitary latrines (visible effluent or open pits) within the pond drainage basin were also significantly correlated to fecal indicator concentrations (p<0.05). Water in the vast majority of the surveyed ponds contained unsafe levels of fecal contamination attributable primarily to unsanitary latrines, and to lesser extent, to sanitary latrines and cattle. Since the majority of fecal pollution is derived from human waste, continued use of pond water could help explain the persistence of diarrheal disease in rural South Asia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Peter S K Knappett
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-1410, USA.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|