Occurrence of bacterial indicators and bacteriophages infecting enteric bacteria in groundwater in different geographical areas

Abstract

Aims: The aim of this research was to determine the suitability of coliphages (bacteriophages) for assessing the microbial quality of groundwater. Methods and Results: The number of several bacterial indicators (faecal coliforms, Escherichia coli, enterococci and spores of sulfite‐reducing clostridia) and bacteriophages (somatic coliphages, F‐specific RNA bacteriophages and bacteriophages infecting Bacteroides fragilis) were determined in groundwater of aquifers in various geographical areas. Results show that the relative abundance, determined as percentages of positive detections, of the bacterial indicators and bacteriophages varies depending on the aquifer. Conclusions: A single bacterial indicator may not be enough to assess microbiological quality in certain aquifers. One bacterial indicator and a bacteriophage parameter provide more information than two bacterial indicators. Significance and Impact of the Study: Coliphages (CPH) provide different information from that provided by bacterial indicators on the microbial quality of groundwater in different geographical areas. Easy, fast and inexpensive methods for the detection of CPH are feasible in both industrialized and developing countries.

Bacterial Contamination of Urban Water Wells in the Nuwayri Region of Beirut - Lebanon

“…Contamination of ground and private well (household supply) water was reported from many states [10,11,12,13,14] and over long periods of time [11,12]. The problem, however, turned out to be global as similar findings were reported from Europe [15,16,17,18], Africa [19,20,21,22], South America [23,24] and Asia [16,17,25]. Assessing the seriousness of the problem and its consequences, standards, as well as, guidelines for construction of wells, regular monitoring of well water through proper sampling, testing and decontaminating, in addition to use of well water were introduced and enforced [3,13,19,26,27,28,29].…”

Coliphages as Model Organisms in the Characterization and Management of Water Resources

“…However, there are some situations, such as reclaimed water, in which UV plays the main role in inactivation [117], clayey sediments [121], and groundwater from certain aquifers [128], in which F-specific phages have been observed to predominate.…”

Occurrence of Tylosin-Resistant Enterococci in Swine Manure and Tile Drainage Systems under No-Till Management

“…The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is now widely used to enable detection of low levels of target sequences, and it has become a key procedure in the detection and identification of bacteria and genes from a variety of environments including soil, water, and fecal materials (Bockelmann et al, 2009;Lucena et al, 2006;Sapkota et al, 2007). The employment of PCR in detecting resistant genes have been well documented (Baele et al, 2000;Bockelmann et al, 2009;Chen et al, 2007;Dutka-Malen et al, 1995;Kariyama et al, 2000;Ke et al, 1999;Luthje and Schwarz, 2007;Sutcliffe et al, 1996b).…”