Comparative survival of enteric viruses and bacteria in Atlantic Ocean seawater

Abstract

The survival of Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Shigella sonnei, poliovirus type 1 and a parvovirus (Minute Virus of Mice) was determined in seawater. Seeded seawater was incubated in the laboratory at 6, 12, 20 and 28 degrees C for up to 40 d. In-situ survival studies were done seasonally (winter, spring, summer and fall) using seeded microbial dialysis equipment placed in the Atlantic Ocean off coastal North Carolina at water depths of 3-10 m. In laboratory studies all test microbes survived longer at lower temperatures with typical times for 90% inactivation (T90) of 1-3 d at the highest temperature and > 10 d at the lowest temperature. Of the microbes tested, E. coli survived least well while S. typhi and Sh. sonnei survived similar to or greater than enteric viruses. Parvovirus survival was similar to that of poliovirus. Under in-situ conditions, E. coli also survived least well of all microbes tested with T90 values of 0.9-3.9 d depending upon season. All other test microbes had generally similar survivals. Overall, microbial survival in seawater was greater under laboratory conditions than under in-situ conditions. There was no clear association between microbial survival and water temperature. The lower survival of E. coli compared to the bacterial and viral pathogens under laboratory conditions raises concerns because it is a key microbial indicator of faecal contamination.

Enteric Viruses of Humans and Animals in Aquatic Environments: Health Risks, Detection, and Potential Water Quality Assessment Tools

“…In a study comparing in vitro and in situ survival in seawater, viruses survived significantly longer at lower temperatures in laboratory conditions, but despite a similar temperature range in field studies, there was no significant difference in poliovirus survival between seasons in natural water (163). Likewise, Wetz et al (165) showed that virus survival at both 22°C and 30°C in unfiltered natural seawater was much shorter than survival in filtered seawater or artificial seawater at either temperature.…”

Survival of F-Specific RNA Coliphage, Feline Calicivirus, andEscherichia coliin Water: a Comparative Study

“…D values for MS2 phage were significantly greater than D values for FCV and E. coli at 4 and 25°C (Table 1) Previous research has shown that NV can survive for long periods of time in the environment (1,26,38). Thus, a useful indicator of this pathogen must have, among other features, the ability to survive for a long time in the environment.…”

Abundance of sewage-pollution indicator and human pathogenic bacteria in a tropical estuarine complex

“…Findings from these studies affirm persistence of allochthonous microflora in the marine environment. Further, different species of bacteria including pathogenic ones (Colwell et al 1981;Xu et al 1982;Huq et al 1984;McCarthy and Khambaty 1994;McCarthy et al 1996;Wait and Sobsey 2000;Darakas 2001;Ramaiah et al 2002a) survive in seawater for one to several weeks. Once introduced into the marine environment, allochthonous pathogens of human health concerns can disperse far and wide to other regions.…”