Enterophages, a group of phages infecting Enterococcus faecalis, and their potential as alternate indicators of human faecal contamination

Bonilla, Natasha; Santiago, Thiago de Melo; Marcos, Patricia; Urdaneta, Miguel; Domingo, Jorge Santo; Toranzos, Gary A.

doi:10.2166/wst.2010.815

Cited by 32 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 24 publications

(19 reference statements)

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“…Thermotolerant coliforms were enumerated using m-FC agar incubated at 45°C for 24 h, and enterococci were enumerated using m-Enterococcus agar incubated at 37°C for up to 48 h (40). Coliphages and enterophages were quantified using the single-layer method as described previously (8). The type strains used for phage enumeration were Escherichia coli ATCC 15597 and E. faecalis ATCC 19433.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Enterophages have a survival time similar to that of human enteric viruses in marine and fresh waters and sand (8,32,36,43), have been detected in raw and treated domestic sewage in Puerto Rico and Portugal, and have been detected neither in pristine waters nor in animal feces (e.g., pigs, dogs, cattle, and chickens) (8,36). However, more data are needed in order to accept enterophages as alternate indicators of human fecal contamination.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Microbial Quality of Tropical Inland Waters and Effects of Rainfall Events

Santiago-Rodríguez

Tremblay

Toledo-Hernández

et al. 2012

Appl Environ Microbiol

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dNovel markers of fecal pollution in tropical waters are needed since conventional methods recommended for other geographical regions may not apply. To address this, the prevalence of thermotolerant coliforms, enterococci, coliphages, and enterophages was determined by culture methods across a watershed. Additionally, human-, chicken-, and cattle-specific PCR assays were used to identify potential fecal pollution sources in this watershed. An enterococcus quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay was tested and correlated with culture methods at three sites since water quality guidelines could incorporate this technique as a rapid detection method. Various rainfall events reported before sample collection at three sites were considered in the data analyses. Thermotolerant coliforms, enterococci, coliphages, and enterophages were detected across the watershed. Human-specific Bacteroides bacteria, unlike the cattle-and chicken-specific bacteria, were detected mostly at sites with the corresponding fecal impact. Enterococci were detected by qPCR as well, but positive correlations with the culture method were noted at two sites, suggesting that either technique could be used. However, no positive correlations were noted for an inland lake tested, suggesting that qPCR may not be suitable for all water bodies. Concentrations of thermotolerant coliforms and bacteriophages were consistently lower after rainfall events, pointing to a possible dilution effect. Rainfall positively correlated with enterococci detected by culturing and qPCR, but this was not the case for the inland lake. The toolbox of methods and correlations presented here could be potentially applied to assess the microbial quality of various water types.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial Quality of Tropical Inland Waters and Effects of Rainfall Events

Santiago-Rodríguez

Tremblay

Toledo-Hernández

et al. 2012

Appl Environ Microbiol

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“…Bacteriophages that infect various Enterococcus spp. ("enterophage") from different sources (i.e., raw sewage, cow manure, and environmental waters) were recently described (31,223,268,279). However, the effect of enterophage on bacterial survival was not tested directly, since the main objective of these works was to examine the utility of enterophage as a microbial source tracking marker.…”

Section: Responses To Environmental Stressorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Enterococci are currently the only FIB recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for brackish and marine waters, since they correlate better with human health outcomes than other FIB, such as fecal coliforms or Escherichia coli (346)(347)(348). Several epidemiological studies have also shown a correlation between concentrations of enterococci in beach sands and gastrointestinal illness in bathers (31,157).…”

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

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

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“…Phages which infect E. coli, Salmonella, Bacteroides and Enterococcus faecalis among others have been isolated directly from human sewage samples or polluted waters. [26][27][28][29][30] A study to determine the occurrence and concentrations of somatic coliphages (phages which infect via the cell membrane) and Bacteroides fragilis phages in the stools of a The aim of this review is to shed light on the potential role that phages may play in human intestinal physiology by examining the literature with respect to phage effects on microbial population dynamics, bacterial chromosome evolution and the host immune system. We consider the phage-host dynamic which occurs in the healthy intestine where microbes may be nutritionally deprived in the lumen.…”

Section: Movers and Shakersmentioning

confidence: 99%