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Durden L, Eckhoff K, Burdsall AC, Youn S, Andújar-Gonzalez C, Abu-Niaaj L, Magnuson M, Harper WF. Characterizing Bacillus globigii as a Bacillus anthracis surrogate for wastewater treatment studies and bioaerosol emissions. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE : WATER RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 9:3458-3466. [PMID: 38516331 PMCID: PMC10953809 DOI: 10.1039/d3ew00524k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
This study characterized Bacillus globigii (BG) as a Bacillus anthracis Sterne (BAS) surrogate for wastewater treatment-related studies of UV inactivation, adsorption onto powdered activated carbon (PAC), and bioaerosol emission. The inactivation of BG was faster than that of BAS in DI water (pseudo first-order rate constants of 0.065 and 0.016 min-1 respectively) and in PBS solution (0.030 and 0.005 min-1 respectively). BG was also removed more quickly than BAS by PAC adsorption in DI (0.07 and 0.05 min-1 respectively) and in PBS (0.09 and 0.04 min-1 respectively). In DI, BG aggregated more (P < 0.05) than BAS when the pH was 7 or greater but there were no statistically significant differences in NaCl solution. Spore aggregation was also studied with extended Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (XDLVO) models. Less than 1% of all spores were released as bioaerosols, and there was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in emission between BG and BAS. To the author's knowledge, this study is the first to demonstrate that BG is a suitable surrogate for BAS for bioaerosol emissions, but a poor surrogate for both UV inactivation and PAC adsorption. These results can be used to understand the ability of BAS to act as a surrogate for BA Ames because of its genetic and morphological similarities with BAS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leigh Durden
- Department of Systems Engineering and Management, Engineering Management Program, Air Force Institute of Technology, 2950 Hobson Way, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, USA
| | - Kyle Eckhoff
- Department of Systems Engineering and Management, Engineering Management Program, Air Force Institute of Technology, 2950 Hobson Way, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, USA
| | - Adam C Burdsall
- Water Infrastructure Protection Division, National Homeland Security Research Center, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Sungmin Youn
- Department of Civil Engineering, Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia, USA
| | - Cindy Andújar-Gonzalez
- Department of Systems Engineering and Management, Engineering Management Program, Air Force Institute of Technology, 2950 Hobson Way, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, USA
| | - Lubna Abu-Niaaj
- Department of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Central State University, Wilberforce, Ohio, USA
| | - Matthew Magnuson
- Water Infrastructure Protection Division, National Homeland Security Research Center, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Willie F Harper
- Department of Systems Engineering and Management, Engineering Management Program, Air Force Institute of Technology, 2950 Hobson Way, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, USA
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Ratliff K, Abdel-Hady A, Monge M, Mikelonis A, Touati A. Impact of filter material and holding time on spore sampling efficiency in water. Lett Appl Microbiol 2023; 76:ovad005. [PMID: 36705271 PMCID: PMC10599418 DOI: 10.1093/lambio/ovad005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Revised: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Bacillus anthracis and other environmentally persistent pathogens pose a significant threat to human and environmental health. If contamination is spread over a wide area (e.g. resulting from a bioterrorism or biowarfare incident), readily deployable and scalable sample collection methods will be necessary for rapidly developing and implementing effective remediation strategies. A recent surge in environmental (eDNA) sampling technologies could prove useful for quantifying the extent and levels of contamination from biological agents in environmental and drinking water. In this study, three commonly used membrane filtration materials (cellulose acetate, cellulose nitrate, and nylon) were evaluated for spore filtration efficiency, yielding recoveries from 17%-68% to 25%-117% for high and low titer samples, respectively, where cellulose nitrate filters generated the highest recoveries. A holding time test revealed no statistically significant differences between spore recoveries when analyzed at the specified timepoints, suggesting that eDNA filter sampling techniques can yield and maintain a relatively high recovery of spores for an extended period of time between filtration and analysis without a detrimental impact on spore recoveries. The results shown here indicate that emerging eDNA technologies could be leveraged for sampling following a wide-area contamination incident and for other microbiological water sampling applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine Ratliff
- Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response, Office of Research and Developmen, Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
| | | | - Mariela Monge
- Consolidated Safety Services, Inc., Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
| | - Anne Mikelonis
- Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response, Office of Research and Developmen, Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
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Mikelonis AM, Ratliff K, Youn S. Laboratory results and mathematical modeling of spore surface interactions in stormwater runoff. JOURNAL OF CONTAMINANT HYDROLOGY 2020; 235:103707. [PMID: 32916588 PMCID: PMC7704712 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconhyd.2020.103707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2019] [Revised: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Development of numerical models to predict stormwater-mediated transport of pathogenic spores in the environment depends on an understanding of adhesion forces that dictate detachment after rain events. Zeta potential values were measured in the laboratory for Bacillus globigii and Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki, two common surrogates used to represent Bacillus anthracis, in synthetic baseline ultrapure water and laboratory prepared stormwater. Zeta potential curves were also determined for materials representative of urban infrastructure (concrete and asphalt). These data were used to predict the interaction energy between the spores and urban materials using Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) modeling. B. globigii and B. thuringiensis kurstaki sourced from Yakibou Inc., were found to have similar zeta potential curves, whereas spores sourced from the U.S. military's Dugway laboratory were found to diverge. In the ultrapure water, the modeling results use the laboratory data to demonstrate that the energy barriers between the spores and the urban materials were tunable through compression of the electrical double layer of the spores via changes of ionic strength and pH of the water. In the runoff water, charge neutralization dominated surface processes. The cations, metals, and natural organic matter (NOM) in the runoff water contributed to equalizing the zeta potential values for Dugway B. globigii and B. thuringiensis kurstaki, and drastically modified the surface of the concrete and asphalt. All DLVO energy curves using the runoff water were repulsive. The highest energy barrier predicted in this study was for Dugway B. globigii spores interacting with a concrete surface in runoff water, suggesting that this would be the most challenging combination to detach through water-based decontamination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne M Mikelonis
- Office of Research and Development, Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response, Homeland Security and Materials Management Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 109 T.W. Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
| | - Katherine Ratliff
- Office of Research and Development, Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response, Homeland Security and Materials Management Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 109 T.W. Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
| | - Sungmin Youn
- Marshall University, Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Sciences, 1 John Marshall Drive, Huntington, WV 25755, United States
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FINKE ERNSTJÜRGEN, BEYER WOLFGANG, LODERSTÄDT ULRIKE, FRICKMANN HAGEN. Review: The risk of contracting anthrax from spore-contaminated soil - A military medical perspective. Eur J Microbiol Immunol (Bp) 2020; 10:29-63. [PMID: 32590343 PMCID: PMC7391381 DOI: 10.1556/1886.2020.00008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Anthrax is an infectious disease of relevance for military forces. Although spores of Bacillus anthracis obiquitously occur in soil, reports on soil-borne transmission to humans are scarce. In this narrative review, the potential of soil-borne transmission of anthrax to humans is discussed based on pathogen-specific characteristics and reports on anthrax in the course of several centuries of warfare. In theory, anthrax foci can pose a potential risk of infection to animals and humans if sufficient amounts of virulent spores are present in the soil even after an extended period of time. In praxis, however, transmissions are usually due to contacts with animal products and reported events of soil-based transmissions are scarce. In the history of warfare, even in the trenches of World War I, reported anthrax cases due to soil-contaminated wounds are virtually absent. Both the perspectives and the experience of the Western hemisphere and of former Soviet Republics are presented. Based on the accessible data as provided in the review, the transmission risk of anthrax by infections of wounds due to spore-contaminated soil is considered as very low under the most circumstance. Active historic anthrax foci may, however, still pose a risk to the health of deployed soldiers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - WOLFGANG BEYER
- Department of Infectiology and Animal Hygiene, University of Hohenheim, Institute of Animal Science, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - ULRIKE LODERSTÄDT
- Diagnostic Department, Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - HAGEN FRICKMANN
- Department of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, Rostock, Germany
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Buse HY, Hoelle JM, Muhlen C, Lytle D. Electrophoretic mobility of Legionella pneumophila serogroups 1 to 14. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2018; 365:4939473. [PMID: 29566231 PMCID: PMC6055225 DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fny067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2018] [Accepted: 03/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Legionella pneumophila (Lp) is ubiquitous in the aquatic environment and can persist within drinking water distribution systems (DWDS) enabling these systems to serve as a potential source of human infections. Bacterial surface charge, deduced from electrophoretic mobility (EPM), is a well-recognized contributor to microorganism mobility, adherence and interactions with their surrounding environment. In this study, the EPM of 32 Lp strains representing serogroup (sg) 1 to 14 were measured, in 9.15 mM KH2PO4 at pH 8, to understand cell surface properties that may influence their occurrence within DWDS. EPM measurements indicated the charge of Lp varied widely between serogroups with five distinct clusters, from least to most negatively charged: (i) sg1 to 3, 5, and 12; (ii) sg6, 8, and 10; (iii) sg9 and 13; (iv) sg7, 11, and 14; and (v) sg4. The EPM of sg1 and 4 strains were pH dependent; however, values were constant between pH 6 and 9, a range typical of drinking water, suggesting that EPM differences between Lp serogroups could impact their survival within DWDS. Understanding the ecological importance of Lp surface properties (e.g. in mobility, colonization, resistance to disinfectants, etc.) within DWDS would aid in mitigation of health risks associated with this water-based pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen Y Buse
- US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Homeland Security Research Center, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
| | - Jill M Hoelle
- US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
| | - Christy Muhlen
- US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
| | - Darren Lytle
- US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
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Omotade TO, Bernhards RC, Klimko CP, Matthews ME, Hill AJ, Hunter MS, Webster WM, Bozue JA, Welkos SL, Cote CK. The impact of inducing germination of Bacillus anthracis and Bacillus thuringiensis spores on potential secondary decontamination strategies. J Appl Microbiol 2014; 117:1614-33. [PMID: 25196092 DOI: 10.1111/jam.12644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2014] [Revised: 09/03/2014] [Accepted: 09/03/2014] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
AIMS Decontamination and remediation of a site contaminated by the accidental or intentional release of fully virulent Bacillus anthracis spores are difficult, costly and potentially damaging to the environment. Development of novel decontamination strategies that have minimal environmental impacts remains a high priority. Although ungerminated spores are amongst the most resilient organisms known, once exposed to germinants, the germinating spores, in some cases, become susceptible to antimicrobial environments. We evaluated the concept that once germinated, B. anthracis spores would be less hazardous and significantly easier to remediate than ungerminated dormant spores. METHODS AND RESULTS Through in vitro germination and sensitivity assays, we demonstrated that upon germination, B. anthracis Ames spores and Bacillus thuringiensis Al Hakam spores (serving as a surrogate for B. anthracis) become susceptible to environmental stressors. The majority of these germinated B. anthracis and B. thuringiensis spores were nonviable after exposure to a defined minimal germination-inducing solution for prolonged periods of time. Additionally, we examined the impact of potential secondary disinfectant strategies including bleach, hydrogen peroxide, formaldehyde and artificial UV-A, UV-B and UV-C radiation, employed after a 60-min germination-induction step. Each secondary disinfectant employs a unique mechanism of killing; as a result, germination-induction strategies are better suited for some secondary disinfectants than others. CONCLUSIONS These results provide evidence that the deployment of an optimal combination strategy of germination-induction/secondary disinfection may be a promising aspect of wide-area decontamination following a B. anthracis contamination event. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY By inducing spores to germinate, our data confirm that the resulting cells exhibit sensitivities that can be leveraged when paired with certain decontamination measures. This increased susceptibility could be exploited to devise more efficient and safe decontamination measures and may obviate the need for more stringent methods that are currently in place.
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Affiliation(s)
- T O Omotade
- Bacteriology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), Frederick, MD, USA
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