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Liu Z, Lin Y, Ge Y, Zhu Z, Yuan J, Yin Q, Liu B, He K, Hu M. Meta-analysis of microbial source tracking for the identification of fecal contamination in aquatic environments based on data-mining. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 345:118800. [PMID: 37591102 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 07/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023]
Abstract
Microbial source tracking (MST) technology represents an innovative approach employed to trace fecal contamination in environmental water systems. The performance of primers may be affected by amplification techniques, target primer categories, and regional differences. To investigate the influence of these factors on primer recognition performance, a meta-analysis was conducted on the application of MST in water environments using three databases: Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed (n = 2291). After data screening, 46 studies were included in the final analysis. The investigation encompassed Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)/quantitative PCR (qPCR) methodologies, dye-based (SYBR)/probe-based (TaqMan) techniques, and geographical differences of a human host-specific (HF183) primer and other 21 additional primers. The results indicated that the primers analyzed were capable of differentiating host specificity to a certain degree. Nonetheless, by comparing sensitivity and specificity outcomes, it was observed that virus-based primers exhibited superior specificity and recognition capacity, as well as a stronger correlation with human pathogenicity in water environments compared to bacteria-based primers. This finding highlights an important direction for future advancements. Moreover, within the same category, qPCR did not demonstrate significant benefits over conventional PCR amplification methods. In comparing dye-based and probe-based techniques, it was revealed that the probe-based method's advantage lay primarily in specificity, which may be associated with the increased propensity of dye-based methods to produce false positives. Furthermore, the heterogeneity of the HF183 primer was not detected in China, Canada, and Singapore respectively, indicating a low likelihood of regional differences. The variation among the 21 other primers may be attributable to regional differences, sample sources, detection techniques, or alternative factors. Finally, we identified that economic factors, climatic conditions, and geographical distribution significantly influence primer performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zejun Liu
- School of Civil Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, 519082, China; Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510070, China
| | - Yingying Lin
- School of Civil Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, 519082, China
| | - Yanhong Ge
- Guangdong Infore Technology Co., Ltd, Foshan, 528322, China
| | - Ziyue Zhu
- School of Civil Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, 519082, China
| | - Jinlong Yuan
- School of Civil Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, 519082, China
| | - Qidong Yin
- School of Civil Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, 519082, China
| | - Bingjun Liu
- School of Civil Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, 519082, China
| | - Kai He
- School of Civil Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, 519082, China.
| | - Maochuan Hu
- School of Civil Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, 519082, China; Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510070, China.
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Ahmed W, Payyappat S, Cassidy M, Harrison N, Besley C. Microbial source tracking of untreated human wastewater and animal scats in urbanized estuarine waters. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 877:162764. [PMID: 36907409 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The study assessed the performance characteristics of host sensitivity, host specificity and concentration for seven human wastewater- and six animal scat-associated marker genes by analysing human wastewater and animal scat samples from urban catchments of the mega-coastal city of Sydney, Australia. Absolute host sensitivity was exhibited across three criteria used to assess seven human wastewater-associated marker genes of cross-assembly phage (CrAssphage), human adenovirus (HAdV), Bacteroides HF183 (HF183), human polyomavirus (HPyV), Lachnospiraceae (Lachno3), Methnobrevibacter smithii nifH (nifH) and pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV). In contrast, only the horse scat-associated marker gene Bacteroides HoF597 (HoF597) exhibited absolute host sensitivity. The absolute host specificity value of 1.0 was returned for the wastewater-associated marker genes of HAdV, HPyV, nifH and PMMoV for each of the three applied host specificity calculation criteria, while values of >0.9 were returned for CrAssphage and Lachno3. Ruminants and cow scat-associated marker genes of BacR and CowM2, respectively exhibited the absolute host specificity value of 1.0. Concentrations of Lachno3 were greater in most human wastewater samples followed by CrAssphage, HF183, nifH, HPyV, PMMoV and HAdV. Human wastewater marker genes were detected in several scat samples from cats and dogs, and this suggests concordant sampling of animal scat-associated marker genes and at least two human wastewater-associated marker genes will be required to assist in interpretation of fecal sources in environmental waters. A greater prevalence, together with several samples with greater concentrations of human wastewater-associated marker genes PMMoV and CrAssphage warrant consideration by water quality managers for the detection of diluted human fecal pollution in estuarine waters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Warish Ahmed
- CSIRO Environment, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Dutton Park, QLD 4102, Australia.
| | - Sudhi Payyappat
- Sydney Water, 1 Smith Street, Parramatta, NSW 2150, Australia
| | - Michele Cassidy
- Sydney Water, 1 Smith Street, Parramatta, NSW 2150, Australia
| | - Nathan Harrison
- Sydney Water, 1 Smith Street, Parramatta, NSW 2150, Australia
| | - Colin Besley
- Sydney Water, 1 Smith Street, Parramatta, NSW 2150, Australia
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Gyawali P, Devane M, Scholes P, Hewitt J. Application of crAssphage, F-RNA phage and pepper mild mottle virus as indicators of human faecal and norovirus contamination in shellfish. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 783:146848. [PMID: 33865125 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Revised: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Shellfish growing waters contaminated with inadequately treated human wastewater is a major source of norovirus in shellfish and poses a significant human health risk to consumers. Microbial source tracking (MST) markers have been widely used to identify the source (s) of faecal contamination in water but data are limited on their use for shellfish safety. This study evaluated the source specificity, sensitivity, occurrence and concentration of three viral MST markers i.e. cross-assembly phage (crAssphage), F-specific RNA bacteriophage genogroup II (F-RNA phage GII) and pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) using animal faeces (n = 119; 16 animal groups), influent wastewater (n = 12), effluent wastewater (n = 16) and shellfish (n = 33). CrAssphage, F-RNA phage GII and PMMoV had source specific values of 0.97, 0.99 and 0.91, respectively. The sensitivity of MST markers was confirmed by their 100% detection frequency in influent wastewaters. The frequency of detection in effluent wastewater ranged from 81.3% (F-RNA phage GII) to 100% (PMMoV). Concentration of F-RNA phage GII was one log10 (influent wastewater) and 2-3 log10 (effluent wastewater) lower than crAssphage and PMMoV, respectively. Despite lower prevalence of F-RNA phage GII in oysters and mussels compared to crAssphage and PMMoV, concentrations of the three MST markers were similar in mussels. As an indicator of norovirus contamination in shellfish, crAssphage and PMMoV had greater predictive sensitivity (100%; [95% CI; 81.5%-100%)]) and F-RNA phage GII had greater predictive specificity (93.3%; [95% CI; 68.1%-99.8%]). In contrast, crAssphage and F-RNA phage GII have similar accuracy for predicting norovirus in shellfish, however, PMMoV significantly overestimated its presence. Therefore, a combination of crAssphage and F-RNA phage GII analysis of shellfish could provide a robust estimation of the presence of human faecal and norovirus contamination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pradip Gyawali
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd (ESR), Porirua 5240, New Zealand.
| | - Megan Devane
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd (ESR), Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
| | - Paula Scholes
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd (ESR), Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
| | - Joanne Hewitt
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd (ESR), Porirua 5240, New Zealand.
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O’Dea C, Huerlimann R, Masters N, Kuballa A, Veal C, Fisher P, Stratton H, Katouli M. Microbial Diversity Profiling of Gut Microbiota of Macropus giganteus Using Three Hypervariable Regions of the Bacterial 16S rRNA. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9081721. [PMID: 34442800 PMCID: PMC8400485 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9081721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Revised: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Animal faecal contamination of surface waters poses a human health risk, as they may contain pathogenic bacteria or viruses. Of the numerous animal species residing along surface waterways in Australia, macropod species are a top contributor to wild animals’ faecal pollution load. We characterised the gut microbiota of 30 native Australian Eastern Grey Kangaroos from six geographical regions (five kangaroos from each region) within South East Queensland in order to establish their bacterial diversity and identify potential novel species-specific bacteria for the rapid detection of faecal contamination of surface waters by these animals. Using three hypervariable regions (HVRs) of the 16S rRNA gene (i.e., V1–V3, V3–V4, and V5–V6), for their effectiveness in delineating the gut microbial diversity, faecal samples from each region were pooled and microbial genomic DNA was extracted, sequenced, and analysed. Results indicated that V1-V3 yielded a higher taxa richness due to its larger target region (~480 bp); however, higher levels of unassigned taxa were observed using the V1-V3 region. In contrast, the V3–V4 HVR (~569 bp) attained a higher likelihood of a taxonomic hit identity to the bacterial species level, with a 5-fold decrease in unassigned taxa. There were distinct dissimilarities in beta diversity between the regions, with the V1-V3 region displaying the highest number of unique taxa (n = 42), followed by V3–V4 (n = 11) and V5–V6 (n = 8). Variations in the gut microbial diversity profiles of kangaroos from different regions were also observed, which indicates that environmental factors may impact the microbial development and, thus, the composition of the gut microbiome of these animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian O’Dea
- Genecology Research Centre, School of Health and Sport Sciences, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, QLD 4558, Australia; (C.O.); (N.M.); (A.K.)
| | - Roger Huerlimann
- Marine Climate Change Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan;
| | - Nicole Masters
- Genecology Research Centre, School of Health and Sport Sciences, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, QLD 4558, Australia; (C.O.); (N.M.); (A.K.)
| | - Anna Kuballa
- Genecology Research Centre, School of Health and Sport Sciences, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, QLD 4558, Australia; (C.O.); (N.M.); (A.K.)
| | - Cameron Veal
- Seqwater, 117 Brisbane Street, Ipswich, QLD 4305, Australia; (C.V.); (P.F.)
| | - Paul Fisher
- Seqwater, 117 Brisbane Street, Ipswich, QLD 4305, Australia; (C.V.); (P.F.)
| | - Helen Stratton
- School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia;
| | - Mohammad Katouli
- Genecology Research Centre, School of Health and Sport Sciences, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, QLD 4558, Australia; (C.O.); (N.M.); (A.K.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +61-7-54302845
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Kongprajug A, Denpetkul T, Chyerochana N, Mongkolsuk S, Sirikanchana K. Human Fecal Pollution Monitoring and Microbial Risk Assessment for Water Reuse Potential in a Coastal Industrial-Residential Mixed-Use Watershed. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:647602. [PMID: 33959110 PMCID: PMC8093506 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.647602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2020] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Rapid economic development has caused industrial expansion into residential communities, leading to higher fecal pollution loads that could be discharged into aquatic environments. However, little is known regarding the potential microbial impact on human health. This study investigated microbial contamination from coastal industrial–residential community areas in nine sampling sites in waterways during three dry events. A general microbial source tracking (MST) marker, GenBac3, was detected in all samples from all three events, indicating continuing fecal pollution in the area, mostly from human sewage contamination. This was shown by the human-specific genetic marker crAssphage (88.9%) and human polyomavirus (HPyVs; 92.6%) detection. Enteric human adenovirus (HAdV40/41) showed three positive results only from residential sites in the first event. No spatial difference was observed for MST markers and traditional fecal indicators (total coliforms and Escherichia coli) in each event. Still, a significantly lower abundance of GenBac3, HPyVs, and total coliforms in the first sampling event was detected. Spearman’s rho analysis indicated a strong correlation among certain pairs of microbial parameters. Multivariate analysis revealed two clusters of samples separated by land use type (industrial vs. residential). According to factor analysis of mixed data, the land use parameter was more associated with physicochemical parameters (i.e., salinity, conductivity, water temperature, and dissolved oxygen). A Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA) was then conducted to estimate the annual infection risks of HAdV40/41 for non-potable water reuse purposes using predicted concentrations from crAssphage and HPyVs. The highest risks (95th percentiles) were ranked by food crop irrigation, aquaculture, and toilet flushing, at 10–1, 10–2, and 10–3 per person per year (pppy). Required treatment levels to achieve a 10–4 pppy annual infection risk were estimated. QMRA-based water treatment scenarios were suggested, including chlorination for toilet flushing reuse and depth filtration prior to chlorination for aquaculture and food crop irrigation. Microbial monitoring combined with a QMRA could provide better insights into fecal pollution patterns and the associated risks, facilitating effective water quality management and appropriate prior treatments for water reuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akechai Kongprajug
- Research Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Thammanitchpol Denpetkul
- Department of Social and Environmental Medicine, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Natcha Chyerochana
- Research Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Skorn Mongkolsuk
- Research Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok, Thailand.,Center of Excellence on Environmental Health and Toxicology (EHT), Ministry of Education, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Kwanrawee Sirikanchana
- Research Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok, Thailand.,Center of Excellence on Environmental Health and Toxicology (EHT), Ministry of Education, Bangkok, Thailand
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Relationship between Rainfall, Fecal Pollution, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Microbial Diversity in an Urbanized Subtropical Bay. Appl Environ Microbiol 2020; 86:AEM.01229-20. [PMID: 32709726 PMCID: PMC7499047 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01229-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 07/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The presence of human enteric pathogens, stemming from fecal pollution, is a serious environmental and public health concern in recreational waters. Accurate assessments of fecal pollution are therefore needed to properly assess exposure risks and guide water quality policies and practices. In this study, the absence of a direct correlation between enterococci and source-specific human and animal markers disputes the utility of enterococci as an indicator of fecal pollution in urbanized subtropical bays. Moreover, the inverse correlation between enterococci and the human-specific marker HF183 indicates that recreational beach advisories, triggered by elevated enterococcus concentrations, are a misleading practice. This study clearly demonstrates that a multiparameter approach that includes the quantitation of host-specific markers, as well as analyses of microbial diversity, is a more effective means of assessing water quality in urbanized subtropical bays. Urbanized bays are vulnerable to fecal bacterial pollution, and the extent of this pollution, in marine recreational waters, is commonly assessed by quantifying enterococcus concentrations. Recent reports have questioned the utility of enterococci as an indicator of fecal bacterial pollution in subtropical bays impaired by non-point source pollution, and enterococcus data alone cannot identify fecal bacterial sources (i.e., hosts). The purpose of this study was to assess relationships between rainfall, fecal bacterial pollution, antimicrobial resistance, and microbial diversity in an urbanized subtropical bay. Thus, a comprehensive bacterial source tracking (BST) study was conducted using a combination of traditional and modern BST methods. Findings show that rainfall was directly correlated with elevated enterococcus concentrations, including the increased prevalence of Enterococcus faecium, although it was not correlated with an increase in the prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant strains. Rainfall was also correlated with decreased microbial diversity. In contrast, neither rainfall nor enterococcus concentrations were directly correlated with the concentrations of three omnipresent host-associated fecal markers (i.e., human, canine, and gull). Notably, the human fecal marker (HF183) was inversely correlated with enterococcus concentrations, signifying that traditional enterococcus data alone are not an accurate proxy for human fecal waste in urbanized subtropical bays. IMPORTANCE The presence of human enteric pathogens, stemming from fecal pollution, is a serious environmental and public health concern in recreational waters. Accurate assessments of fecal pollution are therefore needed to properly assess exposure risks and guide water quality policies and practices. In this study, the absence of a direct correlation between enterococci and source-specific human and animal markers disputes the utility of enterococci as an indicator of fecal pollution in urbanized subtropical bays. Moreover, the inverse correlation between enterococci and the human-specific marker HF183 indicates that recreational beach advisories, triggered by elevated enterococcus concentrations, are a misleading practice. This study clearly demonstrates that a multiparameter approach that includes the quantitation of host-specific markers, as well as analyses of microbial diversity, is a more effective means of assessing water quality in urbanized subtropical bays.
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