The Lethal Action of Sunlight Upon Bacteria in Sea Water

ZoBell, Claude E.; McEwen, George F.

doi:10.2307/1537287

Cited by 12 publications

(10 citation statements)

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“…Sunlight has a critical role in determining the fate of microorganisms (52,53). In this study, as in many others (28,30,(54)(55)(56)(57)(58), inactivation of FIB exposed to sunlight is significantly faster than that of bacteria kept in the dark in both freshwater and marine water matrixes.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 64%

Human-Associated Bacteroides spp. and Human Polyomaviruses as Microbial Source Tracking Markers in Hawaii

Kirs

Caffaro-Filho

Wong

et al. 2016

Appl Environ Microbiol

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Identification of sources of fecal contaminants is needed to (i) determine the health risk associated with recreational water use and (ii) implement appropriate management practices to mitigate this risk and protect the environment. This study evaluated human-associated Bacteroides spp. (HF183TaqMan) and human polyomavirus (HPyV) markers for host sensitivity and specificity using human and animal fecal samples collected in Hawaii. The decay rates of those markers and indicator bacteria were identified in marine and freshwater microcosms exposed and not exposed to sunlight, followed by field testing of the usability of the molecular markers. Both markers were strongly associated with sewage, although the cross-reactivity of the HF183TaqMan (also present in 82% of canine [n ‫؍‬ 11], 30% of mongoose [n ‫؍‬ 10], and 10% of feline [n ‫؍‬ 10] samples) needs to be considered. Concentrations of HF183TaqMan in human fecal samples exceeded those in cross-reactive animals at least 1,000-fold. In the absence of sunlight, the decay rates of both markers were comparable to the die-off rates of enterococci in experimental freshwater and marine water microcosms. However, in sunlight, the decay rates of both markers were significantly lower than the decay rate of enterococci. While both markers have their individual limitations in terms of sensitivity and specificity, these limitations can be mitigated by using both markers simultaneously; ergo, this study supports the concurrent use of HF183TaqMan and HPyV markers for the detection of sewage contamination in coastal and inland waters in Hawaii. IMPORTANCEThis study represents an in-depth characterization of microbial source tracking (MST) markers in Hawaii. The distribution and concentrations of HF183TaqMan and HPyV markers in human and animal fecal samples and in wastewater, coupled with decay data obtained from sunlight-exposed and unexposed microcosms, support the concurrent application of HF183TaqMan and HPyV markers for sewage contamination detection in Hawaii waters. Both markers are more conservative and more specific markers of sewage than fecal indicator bacteria (enterococci and Escherichia coli). Analysis of HF183TaqMan (or newer derivatives) is recommended for inclusion in future epidemiological studies concerned with beach water quality, while better concentration techniques are needed for HPyV. Such epidemiological studies can be used to develop new recreational water quality criteria, which will provide direct information on the absence or presence of sewage contamination in water samples as well as reliable measurements of the risk of waterborne disease transmission to swimmers. T he recently revised recreational water quality criteria (1) continue to use concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), such as enterococci and Escherichia coli, to determine risks to swimmers and to establish recreational water quality standards. However, major limitations in the implementation of the current recreational water quality standards are related to the fact t...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 64%

Human-Associated Bacteroides spp. and Human Polyomaviruses as Microbial Source Tracking Markers in Hawaii

Kirs

Caffaro-Filho

Wong

et al. 2016

Appl Environ Microbiol

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“…However, the results of an investigation by Reay & Shewan (1949) into the numbers of bacteria on the skin of haddock a t various times of the year indicated that there is probably a seasonal variation in the quantitative load of bacteria on this fish. This conclusion is not entirely unexpected since seasonal variations in the numbers of bacteria in sea water have been observed by workers in different parts of the world (Lloyd, 1930;ZoBell & McEwan, 1935;Wood, 1953) and sea water is undoubtedly the source of many of the bacteria found on fish.Workers in the field of marine bacteriology have used a variety of media in investigations of the bacterial flora of sea water and of fish and this has made comparison of their results peculiarly difficult. Since it has been claimed that many bacteria of marine origin will not grow in the absence of sea water (ZoBell, 1946) the comparison of viable counts made in tap-water-containing and sea water-containing media is particularly difficult.…”

mentioning

confidence: 64%

mentioning

confidence: 64%

“…The seasonal occurrence of large numbers of bacteria in the sea has been thought by some workers to be correlated with either maximum water temperatures (ZoBell & Feltham, 1934) or with plankton outbursts (Lloyd, 1930;ZoBell & McEwan, 1935). The temperature of a fish is dependent on that of the surrounding water so that, if temperature is the factor of greatest importance in determining the bacterial population of sea water, it is likely to be of similar importance in the case of fish.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Quantitative Variations in the Bacterial Flora of Flatfish

Liston¹

1956

Journal of General Microbiology

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SUMMARY: Bacterial counts made, over a period of 27 months, on skin, gut and gill samples of freshly caught skate and lemon sole, using sea water-based and tap waterbased media in parallel, revealed a seasonal variation in the size of the bacterial populations on the fish throughout the year. Evidence is presented for the view that the occurrence of maximum bacterial populations on fish is correlated with plankton outbursts. Sea water-based medium was generally superior to a tap water-based medium for isolating bacteria from fish; the importance of this as evidence of a specific marine bacterial flora is discussed.Bacteria occur in appreciable numbers on the skin and gills and in the intestinal contents of fish (Harrison, Perry & Smith 1926). However, it is generally accepted that the internal organs and the muscle tissues of (healthy) live or freshly caught fish are sterile (Anderson, 1907;Proctor & Nickerson, 1935). The spoilage of fish as a foodstuff is due to the activities of bacteria normally present on the living fish which, after the animal's death, penetrate into the muscle tissues and decompose them. Consequently, the bacterial flora of different types of fish has been the subject of several investigations, the results of which were summarized by Shewan (1949). Most of these studies were confined to commercially important species of 'round' fish' such as cod, haddock and herring and have, in the main, consisted of qualitative analyses of the bacterial types isolated from them; flatfish such as skate, lemon sole, turbot, etc., have been little studied. However, the results of an investigation by Reay & Shewan (1949) into the numbers of bacteria on the skin of haddock a t various times of the year indicated that there is probably a seasonal variation in the quantitative load of bacteria on this fish. This conclusion is not entirely unexpected since seasonal variations in the numbers of bacteria in sea water have been observed by workers in different parts of the world (Lloyd, 1930;ZoBell & McEwan, 1935;Wood, 1953) and sea water is undoubtedly the source of many of the bacteria found on fish.Workers in the field of marine bacteriology have used a variety of media in investigations of the bacterial flora of sea water and of fish and this has made comparison of their results peculiarly difficult. Since it has been claimed that many bacteria of marine origin will not grow in the absence of sea water (ZoBell, 1946) the comparison of viable counts made in tap-water-containing and sea water-containing media is particularly difficult.The investigation described below was carried out to determine whether seasonal variations occur in the bacterial flora of skate (Raja spp.) and lemon sole (Pleuronectes mimocephalus) and to determine, so far as possible, what proportion of the bacteria on the fish require sea water in the media for their G. Microb. xv

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“…It is interesting to note, however, that the mean standard error is greater during "dark" assimilation than during "light" assimilation ( Table 2). Inhibition of bacteria by sunlight has been studied (8,9), but the conclusions in those studies were that, when it occurs, it is due to ultraviolet light. Since ultraviolet light is variably screened out by glass and since fluorescent lamps produced little of it, the probabilities are low that the lower sulfate uptake in the light was due to ultraviolet inhibition.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differential sulfate uptake by two species of bacteria under light or dark incubation conditions

Monheimer¹

1974

Can. J. Microbiol.

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Sulfur-35 was used as an isotope tracer to study the uptake of sulfate by Corynebacterium striatum, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Serratia marcescens in a medium free from organic sulfur. In two different experiments, P. fluorescens and S. marcescens were found to take up sulfate faster when incubated in the dark than in the light. This differential sulfate uptake was not observed for C. striatum. Some of the implications of these results are discussed.

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The Lethal Action of Sunlight Upon Bacteria in Sea Water

Cited by 12 publications

References 10 publications

Human-Associated Bacteroides spp. and Human Polyomaviruses as Microbial Source Tracking Markers in Hawaii

Human-Associated Bacteroides spp. and Human Polyomaviruses as Microbial Source Tracking Markers in Hawaii

Quantitative Variations in the Bacterial Flora of Flatfish

Differential sulfate uptake by two species of bacteria under light or dark incubation conditions

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