Comparison of <i>E.Coli</i>, Enterococci, and Fecal Coliform as Indicators for Brackish Water Quality Assessment

Jin, Guang; Englande, A. J.; Bradford, Henry; Jeng, Hueiwang Anna

doi:10.2175/106143004x141807

Cited by 84 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 14 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Here, we define a flux as a transport pathway for enterococci that begins with the primary source (e.g., fe-ces), followed by deposition to a sink, in which enterococci are temporarily sequestered (e.g., sediments). In the case of a flux, the sink is temporary and eventually becomes a secondary source when organisms reenter the water column following a disturbance (183,207). Likewise, fluxes of enterococci from aquatic vegetation to the water column or runoff from a field to a stream can constitute a secondary source.…”

Section: Use Of Enterococci As Fecal Indicator Bacteriamentioning

confidence: 99%

Enterococci in the Environment

Byappanahalli

Nevers

Korajkic

et al. 2012

Microbiol Mol Biol Rev

538

383

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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

show abstract

Section: Use Of Enterococci As Fecal Indicator Bacteriamentioning

confidence: 99%

Enterococci in the Environment

Byappanahalli

Nevers

Korajkic

et al. 2012

Microbiol Mol Biol Rev

538

383

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This includes species of concern to public health such as Vibrio and Enterococcus (Davies and Bavor 2000, Jin et al 2004, Signoretto et al 2004. Particle attachment of pathogens can play an important role in the ultimate fate of these microbes and the dynamics of the fraction attached may be as important as the total population numbers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

VIBRIO AND PHYTOPLANKTON DYNAMICS DURING THE SUMMER OF 2004 IN A EUTROPHYING ESTUARY

Hsieh

Fries

Noble

2007

Ecological Applications

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Bacterioplankton response to eutrophication is a critical part of the transition from phytoplankton blooms to bottom-water hypoxia in estuaries. This topic is of particular concern when endemic bacterial populations, such as Vibrio sp., may pose a health risk to local human populations using estuaries for recreation and food. The purpose of this study was to observe the dynamics of both Vibrio and phytoplankton in the Neuse River Estuary (NRE) in North Carolina, USA, during the summer of 2004. Vibrio concentrations, particle suspension characteristics, and chlorophyll a were measured in surface water collected at a series of stations along the estuarine gradient. Consistent with previous studies, a strong positive relationship between Vibrio concentration and salinity was found. Both Vibrio sp. and phytoplankton concentrations increased moving downstream, but beyond the salt front, phytoplankton declined while Vibrio sp. concentrations continued to increase. In surface waters, a large portion of suspensions was comprised of phytoplankton cells. The fraction of Vibrio cells attached to phytoplankton increased with phytoplankton concentration and decreased with increasing salinity. These observations of Vibrio dynamics in the NRE provide evidence that populations interact with phytoplankton populations in surface waters. This information may prove critical for models of estuarine bacterial dynamics in response to eutrophication.

show abstract

“…Fecal coliforms in recreational bathing waters can originate from the resuspension of bottom sediments (2,30,33,43) and from the bathers themselves (7,11,17,23,31,44). On average, the anal fecal residue being washed off to the water by a recreational bather varies from 0.14 to 10 g (23), and a load of 6 ϫ 10 6 CFU of enterococci can be shed by an average recreational bather during a 15-min immersion (17).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Increased incidences of gastrointestinal illnesses in swimmers have been associated with higher numbers of bathers (6,11,34,44). Multiple studies reported a resuspension of sediment-bound fecal coliforms in response to the disturbance of bottom sediment and sand by bathers and also due to other factors, such as intensified surface runoff, recreational boat traffic, storms, tides, and dredging (1,2,30,33,43). Information on overland migration and waterborne transport of human-virulent microsporidan spores is limited.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Information on overland migration and waterborne transport of human-virulent microsporidan spores is limited. Such spores are small (i.e., 0.7 to 2.2 m in length) (13,35) and thus comparable in size with fecal coliforms; similar to fecal coliforms (33), they associate with particles while in water (24,36). Also, surface deposition is the main removal mechanism for spores in various porous media, including sand (5).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Quantitative Evaluation of the Impact of Bather Density on Levels of Human-Virulent Microsporidian Spores in Recreational Water

Graczyk

Sunderland

Tamang

et al. 2007

Appl Environ Microbiol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Microsporidial gastroenteritis, a serious disease of immunocompromised people, can have a waterborne etiology. During summer months, samples of recreational bathing waters were tested weekly for humanvirulent microsporidian spores and water quality parameters in association with high and low bather numbers during weekends and weekdays, respectively. Enterocytozoon bieneusi spores were detected in 59% of weekend (n ‫؍‬ 27) and 30% of weekday (n ‫؍‬ 33) samples, and Encephalitozoon intestinalis spores were concomitant in a single weekend sample; the overall prevalence was 43%. The numbers of bathers, water turbidity levels, prevalences of spore-positive samples, and concentrations of spores were significantly higher for weekend than for weekday samples; P values were <0.001, <0.04, <0.03, and <0.04, respectively. Water turbidity and the concentration of waterborne spores were significantly correlated with bather density, with P values of <0.001 and <0.01, respectively. As all water samples were collected on days deemed acceptable for bathing by fecal bacterial standards, this study reinforces the scientific doubt about the reliability of bacterial indicators in predicting human waterborne pathogens. The study provides evidence that bathing in public waters can result in exposure to potentially viable microsporidian spores and that body contact recreation in potable water can play a role in the epidemiology of microsporidiosis. The study indicates that resuspension of bottom sediments by bathers resulted in elevated turbidity values and implies that the microbial load from both sediments and bathers can act as nonpoint sources for the contamination of recreational waters with Enterocytozoon bieneusi spores. Both these mechanisms can be considered for implementation in predictive models for contamination with microsporidian spores.

show abstract

Comparison of E.Coli, Enterococci, and Fecal Coliform as Indicators for Brackish Water Quality Assessment

Cited by 84 publications

References 14 publications

Enterococci in the Environment

Enterococci in the Environment

VIBRIO AND PHYTOPLANKTON DYNAMICS DURING THE SUMMER OF 2004 IN A EUTROPHYING ESTUARY

Quantitative Evaluation of the Impact of Bather Density on Levels of Human-Virulent Microsporidian Spores in Recreational Water

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About