Microbial Diversity and Host-Specific Sequences of Canada Goose Feces

Abstract

Methods to assess the impact of goose fecal contamination are needed as the result of the increasing number of Canada geese (Branta canadensis) near North American inland waters. However, there is little information on goose fecal microbial communities, and such data are important for the development of host-specific source-tracking methods. To address this issue, 16S rRNA gene clone libraries for Canada goose fecal samples from Ontario, Canada, and Ohio were analyzed. Analyses of fecal clones from Ontario (447) and Ohio (302) showed that goose fecal communities are dominated by the classes "Clostridia" (represented by 33.7% of clones) and "Bacilli" (38.1% of clones) and the phylum "Bacteroidetes" (10.1% of clones). Sequences not previously found in other avian fecal communities were used to develop host-specific assays. Fecal DNA extracts from sewage plants (10 samples) and different species of birds (11 samples) and mammals (18 samples) were used to test for host specificity. Of all the assays tested, one assay showed specificity for Canada goose fecal DNA. The PCR assay was positive for Canada goose fecal DNA extracts collected from three locations in North America (Ohio, Oregon, and Ontario, Canada). Additionally, of 48 DNA extracts from Lake Ontario waters presumed to be impacted by waterfowl feces, 19 tested positive by the assay, although 10 were positive only after a nested PCR approach was used. Due to the level of host specificity and the presence of signals in environmental waters, the assay is proposed as a part of the toolbox to detect Canada goose contamination in waterfowl-contaminated waters.

Development and Evaluation of a Quantitative PCR Assay Targeting Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis) Fecal Pollution

“…represented Ͻ1% of all sequences (21). Additionally, three previously developed Canadian goose-specific assays (7,21) were negative for all snow goose samples tested in the current study, further suggesting that these goose species may harbor different gut microbial communities (data not shown). The differences between the fecal microbiota of geese might be related to unknown environmental factors, dietary regime, and stress related to migration.…”

“…In terms of risk management of areas impacted with different avian sources, accurate characterization of fecal contamination sources is important, as such data could be used to develop new guidance criteria and manage human risks. Unlike domesticated animal-and human-specific MST markers, to date few avian species-specific assays have been developed (7,20,21). Specifically, there are host-specific assays for only two waterfowl species: gulls and geese.…”

“…Specifically, in the Platte River there are other potential fecal contributors, such as cattle and wildlife. Several avian markers have been developed (7,19,20,21), but to our knowledge, there is no crane-specific assay. This is in part due to the lack of data on the microbial composition of crane excreta.…”

Impacts of Migratory Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis) on Microbial Water Quality in the Central Platte River, Nebraska, USA

“…There are promising bird markers, however, which come from Catellicoccus 16S rRNA gene markers (Lu et al 2011;Green et al 2012;Ryu et al 2012a, b), and one demonstrated to identify Sandhill Crane excreta (Ryu et al 2012a, b) was used and supported in the current study (Table 1). A further line of evidence comes from the limited detection of Bacteroidetes in Sandhill Crane and Snow Goose excreta compared to other animal/human fecal sources, which has also been reported for other avian species (Lu et al 2007(Lu et al , 2008(Lu et al , 2009Gourmelon et al 2007;Dubinsky et al 2012). When including the high occurrence of likely human pathogenic C. jejuni from Sandhill Crane excreta, but lack of other pathogens identified during the current study (Table 1; Lu et al 2013), we now focus on the lines of evidence of this fecal pollution within Platte river water and sediments.…”

Intestinal Microbiota and Species Diversity of Campylobacter and Helicobacter spp. in Migrating Shorebirds in Delaware Bay

“…As some of these microorganisms can be pathogenic, such interactions could have important water monitoring as well as public health ramifications. Indeed, a wide variety of bird species have been found to harbor human and avian pathogens, among them gulls (6)(7)(8)(9), geese (9)(10)(11), terns (9), psittacines (12), corvids (7), raptors (6), songbirds (4,7), and shorebirds (8)(9)(10). Some of the human and avian pathogens identified thus far are bacteria such as Escherichia coli (3,11), Streptococcus spp.…”