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Steinbacher SD, Ameen A, Demeter K, Lun D, Derx J, Lindner G, Sommer R, Linke RB, Kolm C, Zuser K, Heckel M, Perschl A, Blöschl G, Blaschke AP, Kirschner AKT, Farnleitner AH. Assessing the impact of inland navigation on the faecal pollution status of large rivers: A novel integrated field approach. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 261:122029. [PMID: 38996728 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.122029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Revised: 06/20/2024] [Accepted: 06/30/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024]
Abstract
The contribution of ships to the microbial faecal pollution status of water bodies is largely unknown but frequently of human health concern. No methodology for a comprehensive and target-orientated system analysis was available so far. We developed a novel approach for integrated and multistage impact evaluation. The approach includes, i) theoretical faecal pollution source profiling (PSP, i.e., size and pollution capacity estimation from municipal vs. ship sewage disposal) for impact scenario estimation and hypothesis generation, ii) high-resolution field assessment of faecal pollution levels and chemo-physical water quality at the selected river reaches, using standardized faecal indicators (cultivation-based) and genetic microbial source tracking markers (qPCR-based), and iii) integrated statistical analyses of the observed faecal pollution and the number of ships assessed by satellite-based automated ship tracking (i.e., automated identification system, AIS) at local and regional scales. The new approach was realised at a 230 km long Danube River reach in Austria, enabling detailed understanding of the complex pollution characteristics (i.e., longitudinal/cross-sectional river and upstream/downstream docking area analysis). Faecal impact of navigation was demonstrated to be remarkably low at regional and local scale (despite a high local contamination capacity), indicating predominantly correct disposal practices during the investigated period. Nonetheless, faecal emissions were sensitively traceable, attributable to the ship category (discriminated types: cruise, passenger and freight ships) and individual vessels (docking time analysis) at one docking area by the link with AIS data. The new innovative and sensitive approach is transferrable to any water body worldwide with available ship-tracking data, supporting target-orientated monitoring and evidence-based management practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophia D Steinbacher
- Division Water Quality and Health, Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Microbiology, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Dr.-Karl-Dorrek-Straße 30, A-3500 Krems an der Donau, Austria; Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics E166/5/3, TU Wien, Gumpendorferstraße 1a, A-1060 Vienna, Austria
| | - Ahmad Ameen
- Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management E222, TU Wien, Karlsplatz 13, A-1040 Vienna, Austria
| | - Katalin Demeter
- Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics E166/5/3, TU Wien, Gumpendorferstraße 1a, A-1060 Vienna, Austria
| | - David Lun
- Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management E222, TU Wien, Karlsplatz 13, A-1040 Vienna, Austria
| | - Julia Derx
- Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management E222, TU Wien, Karlsplatz 13, A-1040 Vienna, Austria
| | - Gerhard Lindner
- Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Water Hygiene, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Regina Sommer
- Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Water Hygiene, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Rita B Linke
- Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics E166/5/3, TU Wien, Gumpendorferstraße 1a, A-1060 Vienna, Austria
| | - Claudia Kolm
- Division Water Quality and Health, Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Microbiology, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Dr.-Karl-Dorrek-Straße 30, A-3500 Krems an der Donau, Austria
| | - Karen Zuser
- Division Water Quality and Health, Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Microbiology, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Dr.-Karl-Dorrek-Straße 30, A-3500 Krems an der Donau, Austria
| | - Martina Heckel
- Abteilung Wasserwirtschaft (WA2), Government of Lower Austria, A-3109 St. Pölten, Landhausplatz 1, Haus 2, Austria
| | - Andrea Perschl
- Abteilung Wasserwirtschaft (WA2), Government of Lower Austria, A-3109 St. Pölten, Landhausplatz 1, Haus 2, Austria
| | - Günter Blöschl
- Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management E222, TU Wien, Karlsplatz 13, A-1040 Vienna, Austria
| | - Alfred P Blaschke
- Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management E222, TU Wien, Karlsplatz 13, A-1040 Vienna, Austria
| | - Alexander K T Kirschner
- Division Water Quality and Health, Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Microbiology, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Dr.-Karl-Dorrek-Straße 30, A-3500 Krems an der Donau, Austria; Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Water Microbiology, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Andreas H Farnleitner
- Division Water Quality and Health, Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Microbiology, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Dr.-Karl-Dorrek-Straße 30, A-3500 Krems an der Donau, Austria; Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics E166/5/3, TU Wien, Gumpendorferstraße 1a, A-1060 Vienna, Austria.
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Lobos AE, Brandt AM, Gallard-Góngora JF, Korde R, Brodrick E, Harwood VJ. Persistence of sewage-associated genetic markers in advanced and conventional treated recycled water: implications for microbial source tracking in surface waters. mBio 2024; 15:e0065524. [PMID: 38864636 PMCID: PMC11253620 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00655-24] [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: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Sewage contamination of environmental waters is increasingly assessed by measuring DNA from sewage-associated microorganisms in microbial source tracking (MST) approaches. However, DNA can persist through wastewater treatment and reach surface waters when treated sewage/recycled water is discharged, which may falsely indicate pollution from untreated sewage. Recycled water discharged from an advanced wastewater treatment (AWT) facility into a Florida stream elevated the sewage-associated HF183 marker 1,000-fold, with a minimal increase in cultured Escherichia coli. The persistence of sewage-associated microorganisms was compared by qPCR in untreated sewage and recycled water from conventional wastewater treatment (CWT) and AWT facilities. E. coli (EC23S857) and sewage-associated markers HF183, H8, and viral crAssphage CPQ_056 were always detected in untreated sewage (6.5-8.7 log10 GC/100 mL). Multivariate analysis found a significantly greater reduction of microbial variables via AWT vs CWT. Bacterial markers decayed ~4-5 log10 through CWT, but CPQ_056 was ~100-fold more persistent. In AWT facilities, the log10 reduction of all variables was ~5. In recycled water, bacterial marker concentrations were significantly correlated (P ≤ 0.0136; tau ≥ 0.44); however, CPQ_056 was not correlated with any marker, suggesting varying drivers of decay. Concentrations of cultured E. coli carrying the H8 marker (EcH8) in untreated sewage were 5.24-6.02 log10 CFU/100 mL, while no E. coli was isolated from recycled water. HF183 and culturable EcH8 were also correlated in contaminated surface waters (odds ratio β1 = 1.701). Culturable EcH8 has a strong potential to differentiate positive MST marker signals arising from treated (e.g., recycled water) and untreated sewage discharged into environmental waters. IMPORTANCE Genes in sewage-associated microorganisms are widely accepted indicators of sewage pollution in environmental waters. However, DNA persists through wastewater treatment and can reach surface waters when recycled water is discharged, potentially causing false-positive indications of sewage contamination. Previous studies have found that bacterial and viral sewage-associated genes persist through wastewater treatment; however, these studies did not compare different facilities or identify a solution to distinguish sewage from recycled water. In this study, we demonstrated the persistence of bacterial marker genes and the greater persistence of a viral marker gene (CPQ_056 of crAssphage) through varying wastewater treatment facilities. We also aim to provide a tool to confirm sewage contamination in surface waters with recycled water inputs. This work showed that the level of wastewater treatment affects the removal of microorganisms, particularly viruses, and expands our ability to identify sewage in surface waters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aldo E. Lobos
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Amanda M. Brandt
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Javier F. Gallard-Góngora
- Department of Earth, Marine, and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Marine Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Morehead City, North Carolina, USA
| | - Ruchi Korde
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Eleanor Brodrick
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Valerie J. Harwood
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
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Kirschner AKT, Schachner-Groehs I, Kavka G, Hoedl E, Kovacs A, Farnleitner AH. Long-term impact of basin-wide wastewater management on faecal pollution levels along the entire Danube River. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2024; 31:45697-45710. [PMID: 38977549 PMCID: PMC11269416 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-34190-0] [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: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024]
Abstract
The Danube River is, at 2857 km, the second longest river in Europe and the most international river in the world with 19 countries in its catchment. Along the entire river, faecal pollution levels are mainly influenced by point-source emissions from treated and untreated sewage of municipal origin under base-flow conditions. In the past 2 decades, large investments in wastewater collection and treatment infrastructure were made in the European Union (EU) Member States located in the Danube River Basin (DRB). Overall, the share of population equivalents with appropriately biologically treated wastewater (without disinfection) has increased from 69% to more than 85%. The proportion of tertiary treatment has risen from 46 to 73%. In contrast, no comparable improvements of wastewater infrastructure took place in non-EU Member States in the middle and lower DRB, where a substantial amount of untreated wastewater is still directly discharged into the Danube River. Faecal pollution levels along the whole Danube River and the confluence sites of the most important tributaries were monitored during four Danube River expeditions, the Joint Danube Surveys (JDS). During all four surveys, the longitudinal patterns of faecal pollution were highly consistent, with generally lower levels in the upper section and elevated levels and major hotspots in the middle and lower sections of the Danube River. From 2001 to 2019, a significant decrease in faecal pollution levels could be observed in all three sections with average reduction rates between 72 and 86%. Despite this general improvement in microbiological water quality, no such decreases were observed for the highly polluted stretch in Central Serbia. Further improvements in microbiological water quality can be expected for the next decades on the basis of further investments in wastewater infrastructure in the EU Member States, in the middle and lower DRB. In the upper DRB, and due to the high compliance level as regards collection and treatment, improvements can further be achieved by upgrading sewage treatment plants with quaternary treatment steps as well as by preventing combined sewer overflows. The accession of the Western Balkan countries to the EU would also significantly boost investments in wastewater infrastructure and water quality improvements in the middle section of the Danube. Continuing whole-river expeditions such as the Joint Danube Surveys is highly recommended to monitor the developments in water quality in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander K T Kirschner
- Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology - Water Microbiology, Medical University Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
- Division Water Quality and Health, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Dr. Karl Dorrek Straße 30, 3500, Krems, Austria.
- Interuniversity Cooperation Centre Water & Health (http://www.waterandhealth.at), Vienna, Austria.
| | - Iris Schachner-Groehs
- Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology - Water Microbiology, Medical University Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, 1090, Vienna, Austria
- Interuniversity Cooperation Centre Water & Health (http://www.waterandhealth.at), Vienna, Austria
| | - Gerhard Kavka
- Federal Agency for Water Management, Petzenkirchen, Austria
| | - Edith Hoedl
- International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR), Vienna International Centre, Vienna, Austria
| | - Adam Kovacs
- International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR), Vienna International Centre, Vienna, Austria
| | - Andreas H Farnleitner
- Division Water Quality and Health, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Dr. Karl Dorrek Straße 30, 3500, Krems, Austria
- Interuniversity Cooperation Centre Water & Health (http://www.waterandhealth.at), Vienna, Austria
- Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Research Group Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics, Technische Universität Wien, E166/5/3 and E057-08, Gumpendorferstraße 1a, 1060, Vienna, Austria
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Schachner-Groehs I, Koller M, Leopold M, Kolm C, Linke RB, Jakwerth S, Kolarević S, Kračun-Kolarević M, Kandler W, Sulyok M, Vierheilig J, Toumi M, Farkas R, Toth E, Kittinger C, Zarfel G, Farnleitner AH, Kirschner AKT. Linking antibiotic resistance gene patterns with advanced faecal pollution assessment and environmental key parameters along 2300 km of the Danube River. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 252:121244. [PMID: 38340455 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
The global spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the environment is a growing health threat. Large rivers are of particular concern as they are highly impacted by wastewater discharge while being vital lifelines serving various human needs. A comprehensive understanding of occurrence, spread and key drivers of AMR along whole river courses is largely lacking. We provide a holistic approach by studying spatiotemporal patterns and hotspots of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) along 2311 km of the navigable Danube River, combining a longitudinal and temporal monitoring campaign. The integration of advanced faecal pollution diagnostics and environmental and chemical key parameters allowed linking ARG concentrations to the major pollution sources and explaining the observed patterns. Nine AMR markers, including genes conferring resistance to five different antibiotic classes of clinical and environmental relevance, and one integrase gene were determined by probe-based qPCR. All AMR targets could be quantified in Danube River water, with intI1 and sul1 being ubiquitously abundant, qnrS, tetM, blaTEM with intermediate abundance and blaOXA-48like, blaCTX-M-1 group, blaCTX-M-9 group and blaKPC genes with rare occurrence. Human faecal pollution from municipal wastewater discharges was the dominant factor shaping ARG patterns along the Danube River. Other significant correlations of specific ARGs were observed with discharge, certain metals and pesticides. In contrast, intI1 was not associated with wastewater but was already established in the water microbiome. Animal contamination was detected only sporadically and was correlated with ARGs only in the temporal sampling set. During temporal monitoring, an extraordinary hotspot was identified emphasizing the variability within natural waters. This study provides the first comprehensive baseline concentrations of ARGs in the Danube River and lays the foundation for monitoring future trends and evaluating potential reduction measures. The applided holistic approach proved to be a valuable methodological contribution towards a better understanding of the environmental occurrence of AMR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris Schachner-Groehs
- Institute of Hygiene and Applied Immunology - Water Microbiology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, Vienna 1090, Austria
| | - Michael Koller
- Institute of Hygiene, Microbiology and Environmental Medicine, Medical University Graz, Neue Stiftingtalstraße 6, Graz 8010, Austria
| | - Melanie Leopold
- Division Water Quality and Health, Department Pharmacology, Physiology and Microbiology, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Dr.-Karl-Dorrek-Straße 30, Krems an der Donau 3500, Austria
| | - Claudia Kolm
- Division Water Quality and Health, Department Pharmacology, Physiology and Microbiology, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Dr.-Karl-Dorrek-Straße 30, Krems an der Donau 3500, Austria; Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Research Group Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics, Technische Universität Wien, Gumpendorfer Straße 1A/166, Vienna 1060, Austria
| | - Rita B Linke
- Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Research Group Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics, Technische Universität Wien, Gumpendorfer Straße 1A/166, Vienna 1060, Austria
| | - Stefan Jakwerth
- Institute of Hygiene and Applied Immunology - Water Microbiology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, Vienna 1090, Austria
| | - Stoimir Kolarević
- Department of Hydroecology and Water Protection, Institute for Biological Research ¨Siniša Stanković¨, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, Belgrade 11060, Serbia
| | - Margareta Kračun-Kolarević
- Department of Hydroecology and Water Protection, Institute for Biological Research ¨Siniša Stanković¨, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, Belgrade 11060, Serbia
| | - Wolfgang Kandler
- Department of Agrotechnology (IFA-Tulln), Institute of Bioanalytics and Agro-Metabolomics, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Konrad-Lorenz-Straße 20, Tulln an der Donau 3430, Austria
| | - Michael Sulyok
- Department of Agrotechnology (IFA-Tulln), Institute of Bioanalytics and Agro-Metabolomics, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Konrad-Lorenz-Straße 20, Tulln an der Donau 3430, Austria
| | - Julia Vierheilig
- Institute of Water Quality and Resource Management, Technische Universität Wien, Karlsplatz 13/226-1, Wien 1040, Austria
| | - Marwene Toumi
- Department of Microbiology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C., H-1117, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Rózsa Farkas
- Department of Microbiology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C., H-1117, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Erika Toth
- Department of Microbiology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C., H-1117, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Clemens Kittinger
- Institute of Hygiene, Microbiology and Environmental Medicine, Medical University Graz, Neue Stiftingtalstraße 6, Graz 8010, Austria
| | - Gernot Zarfel
- Institute of Hygiene, Microbiology and Environmental Medicine, Medical University Graz, Neue Stiftingtalstraße 6, Graz 8010, Austria
| | - Andreas H Farnleitner
- Division Water Quality and Health, Department Pharmacology, Physiology and Microbiology, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Dr.-Karl-Dorrek-Straße 30, Krems an der Donau 3500, Austria; Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Research Group Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics, Technische Universität Wien, Gumpendorfer Straße 1A/166, Vienna 1060, Austria.
| | - A K T Kirschner
- Institute of Hygiene and Applied Immunology - Water Microbiology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, Vienna 1090, Austria; Division Water Quality and Health, Department Pharmacology, Physiology and Microbiology, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Dr.-Karl-Dorrek-Straße 30, Krems an der Donau 3500, Austria.
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Mejías-Molina C, Pico-Tomàs A, Martínez-Puchol S, Itarte M, Torrell H, Canela N, Borrego CM, Corominas L, Rusiñol M, Bofill-Mas S. Wastewater-based epidemiology applied at the building-level reveals distinct virome profiles based on the age of the contributing individuals. Hum Genomics 2024; 18:10. [PMID: 38303015 PMCID: PMC10832175 DOI: 10.1186/s40246-024-00580-1] [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: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Human viruses released into the environment can be detected and characterized in wastewater. The study of wastewater virome offers a consolidated perspective on the circulation of viruses within a population. Because the occurrence and severity of viral infections can vary across a person's lifetime, studying the virome in wastewater samples contributed by various demographic segments can provide valuable insights into the prevalence of viral infections within these segments. In our study, targeted enrichment sequencing was employed to characterize the human virome in wastewater at a building-level scale. This was accomplished through passive sampling of wastewater in schools, university settings, and nursing homes in two cities in Catalonia. Additionally, sewage from a large urban wastewater treatment plant was analysed to serve as a reference for examining the collective excreted human virome. RESULTS The virome obtained from influent wastewater treatment plant samples showcased the combined viral presence from individuals of varying ages, with astroviruses and human bocaviruses being the most prevalent, followed by human adenoviruses, polyomaviruses, and papillomaviruses. Significant variations in the viral profiles were observed among the different types of buildings studied. Mamastrovirus 1 was predominant in school samples, salivirus and human polyomaviruses JC and BK in the university settings while nursing homes showed a more balanced distribution of viral families presenting papillomavirus and picornaviruses and, interestingly, some viruses linked to immunosuppression. CONCLUSIONS This study shows the utility of building-level wastewater-based epidemiology as an effective tool for monitoring the presence of viruses circulating within specific age groups. It provides valuable insights for public health monitoring and epidemiological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Mejías-Molina
- Laboratory of Viruses Contaminants of Water and Food, Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics Department, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
- The Water Research Institute (IdRA), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
| | | | - Sandra Martínez-Puchol
- Laboratory of Viruses Contaminants of Water and Food, Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics Department, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Marta Itarte
- Laboratory of Viruses Contaminants of Water and Food, Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics Department, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- The Water Research Institute (IdRA), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Helena Torrell
- Centre for Omic Sciences (COS), Joint Unit Universitat Rovira I Virgili-EURECAT, Unique Scientific and Technical Infrastructures (ICTS), Eurecat, Centre Tecnològic de Catalunya, Reus, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Núria Canela
- Centre for Omic Sciences (COS), Joint Unit Universitat Rovira I Virgili-EURECAT, Unique Scientific and Technical Infrastructures (ICTS), Eurecat, Centre Tecnològic de Catalunya, Reus, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Carles M Borrego
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Girona, Spain
- Group of Molecular Microbial Ecology, Institute of Aquatic Ecology, University of Girona, Girona, Catalonia, Spain
| | | | - Marta Rusiñol
- Laboratory of Viruses Contaminants of Water and Food, Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics Department, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- The Water Research Institute (IdRA), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Sílvia Bofill-Mas
- Laboratory of Viruses Contaminants of Water and Food, Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics Department, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- The Water Research Institute (IdRA), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
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Fontaine L, Pin L, Savio D, Friberg N, Kirschner AKT, Farnleitner AH, Eiler A. Bacterial bioindicators enable biological status classification along the continental Danube river. Commun Biol 2023; 6:862. [PMID: 37596339 PMCID: PMC10439154 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05237-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the importance of bacteria in aquatic ecosystems and their predictable diversity patterns across space and time, biomonitoring tools for status assessment relying on these organisms are widely lacking. This is partly due to insufficient data and models to identify reliable microbial predictors. Here, we show metabarcoding in combination with multivariate statistics and machine learning allows to identify bacterial bioindicators for existing biological status classification systems. Bacterial beta-diversity dynamics follow environmental gradients and the observed associations highlight potential bioindicators for ecological outcomes. Spatio-temporal links spanning the microbial communities along the river allow accurate prediction of downstream biological status from upstream information. Network analysis on amplicon sequence veariants identify as good indicators genera Fluviicola, Acinetobacter, Flavobacterium, and Rhodoluna, and reveal informational redundancy among taxa, which coincides with taxonomic relatedness. The redundancy among bacterial bioindicators reveals mutually exclusive taxa, which allow accurate biological status modeling using as few as 2-3 amplicon sequence variants. As such our models show that using a few bacterial amplicon sequence variants from globally distributed genera allows for biological status assessment along river systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurent Fontaine
- Section for Aquatic Biology and Toxicology, Centre for Biogeochemistry in the Anthropocene, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Blindernv. 31, 0371, Oslo, Norway
| | - Lorenzo Pin
- Section for Aquatic Biology and Toxicology, Centre for Biogeochemistry in the Anthropocene, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Blindernv. 31, 0371, Oslo, Norway
- Norsk Institutt for Vannforskning (NIVA) Gaustadalléen 21, 0349, Oslo, Norway
| | - Domenico Savio
- Division Water Quality and Health, Department Pharmacology, Physiology and Microbiology, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Krems an der Donau, Austria
- Interuniversity Cooperation Centre for Water and Health, Vienna, Austria
- Research Group for Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics 166/5/3, Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, TU Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - Nikolai Friberg
- Norsk Institutt for Vannforskning (NIVA) Gaustadalléen 21, 0349, Oslo, Norway
- Freshwater Biological Section, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 4, Third Floor, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Alexander K T Kirschner
- Division Water Quality and Health, Department Pharmacology, Physiology and Microbiology, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Krems an der Donau, Austria
- Interuniversity Cooperation Centre for Water and Health, Vienna, Austria
- Medical University Vienna, Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Water Microbiology, Kinderspitalgasse 15, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Andreas H Farnleitner
- Division Water Quality and Health, Department Pharmacology, Physiology and Microbiology, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Krems an der Donau, Austria
- Interuniversity Cooperation Centre for Water and Health, Vienna, Austria
- Research Group for Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics 166/5/3, Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, TU Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alexander Eiler
- Section for Aquatic Biology and Toxicology, Centre for Biogeochemistry in the Anthropocene, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Blindernv. 31, 0371, Oslo, Norway.
- eDNA Solutions AB, Kärrbogata 22, 44196, Alingsås, Sweden.
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Monteiro S, Machado-Moreira B, Linke R, Blanch AR, Ballesté E, Méndez J, Maunula L, Oristo S, Stange C, Tiehm A, Farnleitner AH, Santos R, García-Aljaro C. Performance of bacterial and mitochondrial qPCR source tracking methods: A European multi-center study. Int J Hyg Environ Health 2023; 253:114241. [PMID: 37611533 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2023.114241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
With the advent of molecular biology diagnostics, different quantitative PCR assays have been developed for use in Source Tracking (ST), with none of them showing 100% specificity and sensitivity. Most studies have been conducted at a regional level and mainly in fecal slurry rather than in animal wastewater. The use of a single molecular assay has most often proven to fall short in discriminating with precision the sources of fecal contamination. This work is a multicenter European ST study to compare bacterial and mitochondrial molecular assays and was set to evaluate the efficiency of nine previously described qPCR assays targeting human-, cow/ruminant-, pig-, and poultry-associated fecal contamination. The study was conducted in five European countries with seven fecal indicators and nine ST assays being evaluated in a total of 77 samples. Animal fecal slurry samples and human and non-human wastewater samples were analyzed. Fecal indicators measured by culture and qPCR were generally ubiquitous in the samples. The ST qPCR markers performed at high levels in terms of quantitative sensitivity and specificity demonstrating large geographical application. Sensitivity varied between 73% (PLBif) and 100% for the majority of the tested markers. On the other hand, specificity ranged from 53% (CWMit) and 97% (BacR). Animal-associated ST qPCR markers were generally detected in concentrations greater than those found for the respective human-associated qPCR markers, with mean concentration for the Bacteroides qPCR markers varying between 8.74 and 7.22 log10 GC/10 mL for the pig and human markers, respectively. Bacteroides spp. and mitochondrial DNA qPCR markers generally presented higher Spearman's rank coefficient in the pooled fecal samples tested, particularly the human fecal markers with a coefficient of 0.79. The evaluation of the performance of Bacteroides spp., mitochondrial DNA and Bifidobacterium spp. ST qPCR markers support advanced pollution monitoring of impaired aquatic environments, aiming to elaborate strategies for target-oriented water quality management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sílvia Monteiro
- Laboratório de Análises, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001, Lisboa, Portugal; CERIS, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001, Lisboa, Portugal; Departamento de Engenharia e Ciências Nucleares, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, EN. 10, 2695-066, Bobadela, Portugal.
| | - Bernardino Machado-Moreira
- Laboratório de Análises, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Rita Linke
- Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Research Group Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics 166/5/3, TU Wien, Gumpendorferstr. 1a, 1060, Vienna, Austria
| | - Anicet R Blanch
- Dept. Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Elisenda Ballesté
- Dept. Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Javier Méndez
- Dept. Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Leena Maunula
- Dept. Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Satu Oristo
- Dept. Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Claudia Stange
- Dept. Water Microbiology, DVGW-Technologiezentrum Wasser, Germany
| | - Andreas Tiehm
- Dept. Water Microbiology, DVGW-Technologiezentrum Wasser, Germany
| | - Andreas H Farnleitner
- Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Research Group Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics 166/5/3, TU Wien, Gumpendorferstr. 1a, 1060, Vienna, Austria; Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Research Division Water Quality and Health, Dr.- Karl-Dorrek-Straße 30, 3500, Krems an der Donau, Austria
| | - Ricardo Santos
- Laboratório de Análises, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001, Lisboa, Portugal; CERIS, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001, Lisboa, Portugal; Departamento de Engenharia e Ciências Nucleares, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, EN. 10, 2695-066, Bobadela, Portugal
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8
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Pico-Tomàs A, Mejías-Molina C, Zammit I, Rusiñol M, Bofill-Mas S, Borrego CM, Corominas L. Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in sewage from buildings housing residents with different vulnerability levels. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 872:162116. [PMID: 36773920 PMCID: PMC9911146 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
During the last three years, various restrictions have been set up to limit the transmission of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19). While these rules apply at a large scale (e.g., country-wide level) human-to-human transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), occurs at a small scale. Different preventive policies and testing protocols were implemented in buildings where COVID-19 poses a threat (e.g., elderly residences) or constitutes a disruptive force (e.g., schools). In this study, we sampled sewage from different buildings (a school, a university campus, a university residence, and an elderly residence) that host residents of different levels of vulnerability. Our main goal was to assess the agreement between the SARS-CoV-2 concentration in wastewater and the policies applied in these buildings. All buildings were sampled using passive samplers while 24 h composite samples were also collected from the elderly residence. Results showed that passive samplers performed comparably well to composite samples while being cost-effective to keep track of COVID-19 prevalence. In the elderly residence, the comparison of sampling protocols (passive vs. active) combined with the strict clinical testing allowed us to compare the sensitivities of the two methods. Active sampling was more sensitive than passive sampling, as the former was able to detect a COVID-19 prevalence of 0.4 %, compared to a prevalence of 2.2 % for passive sampling. The number of COVID-19-positive individuals was tracked clinically in all the monitored buildings. More frequent detection of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater was observed in residential buildings than in non-residential buildings using passive samplers. In all buildings, sewage surveillance can be used to complement COVID-19 clinical testing regimes, as the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater remained positive even when no COVID-19-positive individuals were reported. Passive sampling is useful for building managers to adapt their COVID-19 mitigation policies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Pico-Tomàs
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; University of Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain
| | - Cristina Mejías-Molina
- Laboratory of Viruses Contaminants of Water and Food, Genetics, Microbiology & Statistics Dept., Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; The Water Research Institute (IdRA), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Ian Zammit
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; University of Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain
| | - Marta Rusiñol
- Laboratory of Viruses Contaminants of Water and Food, Genetics, Microbiology & Statistics Dept., Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; The Water Research Institute (IdRA), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Sílvia Bofill-Mas
- Laboratory of Viruses Contaminants of Water and Food, Genetics, Microbiology & Statistics Dept., Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; The Water Research Institute (IdRA), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Carles M Borrego
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; Group of Molecular Microbial Ecology, Institute of Aquatic Ecology, University of Girona, Girona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Lluís Corominas
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; University of Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain.
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9
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Zhou M, Hou Y, Jia R, Li B, Zhu J. Effects of Bellamya purificata Cultivation at Different Stocking Densities on the Dynamics and Assembly of Bacterial Communities in Sediment. Biomolecules 2023; 13:biom13020254. [PMID: 36830624 PMCID: PMC9953186 DOI: 10.3390/biom13020254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Revised: 01/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
To optimize the integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) model, improve the efficiency of resource utilization, and reduce environmental pollution, Bellamya purificata, as a potential bioremediation species, was studied to investigate the effect of B. purificata culture on the dynamics and assembly of bacterial communities in sediment. Four experimental groups were established at four different densities: 0, 234.38, 468.75, and 937.5 g/m2 (represented as CON, LD, MD, and HD, respectively). Each group was with three replicates. The 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) high-throughput sequencing was used to evaluate the composition, function, and assembly of bacterial communities in sediment. B. purificata cultivation significantly altered the composition and function of the bacterial communities in sediment; at high stocking density, it significantly decreased anaerobic and increased aerobic organic matter decomposition, whereas at low stocking density, it decreased the number of bacteria involved in sulfate reduction and inhibited the denitrification process. B. purificata decreased direct competition and promoted collaboration or niche sharing in bacterial communities, especially at the high stocking density. Moreover, B. purificata cultivation resulted in greater changes in the environmental factors. Variations in dissolved oxygen, pH, total nitrogen, nitrate, and nitrite levels were closely related to the altered composition and function of the bacterial communities. Stochastic processes dominated the bacterial community assembly in the sediment and B. purificata cultivation had limited impacts on the bacterial community assembly. The study provided a reference for the dynamics and assembly of bacterial communities in sediment with different densities of B. purificata cultivation and we hope that the findings will provide a theoretical reference for the optimization of IMTA and improve management strategies for B. purificata polyculture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengmeng Zhou
- College of Fisheries and Life Science, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China
| | - Yiran Hou
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Rice-Fish Farming Ecology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Freshwater Fisheries Research Center, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuxi 214081, China
| | - Rui Jia
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Rice-Fish Farming Ecology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Freshwater Fisheries Research Center, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuxi 214081, China
| | - Bing Li
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Rice-Fish Farming Ecology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Freshwater Fisheries Research Center, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuxi 214081, China
- Correspondence: (B.L.); (J.Z.); Tel.: +86-510-85550535 (B.L.); +86-510-85550414 (J.Z.)
| | - Jian Zhu
- College of Fisheries and Life Science, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Rice-Fish Farming Ecology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Freshwater Fisheries Research Center, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuxi 214081, China
- Correspondence: (B.L.); (J.Z.); Tel.: +86-510-85550535 (B.L.); +86-510-85550414 (J.Z.)
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10
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Derx J, Kılıç HS, Linke R, Cervero-Aragó S, Frick C, Schijven J, Kirschner AKT, Lindner G, Walochnik J, Stalder G, Sommer R, Saracevic E, Zessner M, Blaschke AP, Farnleitner AH. Probabilistic fecal pollution source profiling and microbial source tracking for an urban river catchment. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 857:159533. [PMID: 36270368 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159533] [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: 07/13/2022] [Revised: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
We developed an innovative approach to estimate the occurrence and extent of fecal pollution sources for urban river catchments. The methodology consists of 1) catchment surveys complemented by literature data where needed for probabilistic estimates of daily produced fecal indicator (FIBs, E. coli, enterococci) and zoonotic reference pathogen numbers (Campylobacter, Cryptosporidium and Giardia) excreted by human and animal sources in a river catchment, 2) generating a hypothesis about the dominant sources of fecal pollution and selecting a source targeted monitoring design, and 3) verifying the results by comparing measured concentrations of the informed choice of parameters (i.e. chemical tracers, C. perfringensspores, and host-associated genetic microbial source tracking (MST) markers) in the river, and by multi-parametric correlation analysis. We tested the approach at a study area in Vienna, Austria. The daily produced microbial particle numbers according to the probabilistic estimates indicated that, for the dry weather scenario, the discharge of treated wastewater (WWTP) was the primary contributor to fecal pollution. For the wet weather scenario, 80-99 % of the daily produced FIBs and pathogens resulted from combined sewer overflows (CSOs) according to the probabilistic estimates. When testing our hypothesis in the river, the measured concentrations of the human genetic fecal marker were log10 4 higher than for selected animal genetic fecal markers. Our analyses showed for the first-time statistical relationships between C. perfringens spores (used as conservative microbial tracer for communal sewage) and a human genetic fecal marker (i.e. HF183/BacR287) with the reference pathogen Giardia in river water (Spearman rank correlation: 0.78-0.83, p < 0.05. The developed approach facilitates urban water safety management and provides a robust basis for microbial fate and transport models and microbial infection risk assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Derx
- Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management, TU Wien, Austria.
| | - H Seda Kılıç
- Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management, TU Wien, Austria
| | - Rita Linke
- Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Research Group Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics 166/5/3, TU Wien, Austria
| | - Sílvia Cervero-Aragó
- Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Christina Frick
- Vienna City Administration, Municipal Department 39, Division of Hygiene, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jack Schijven
- Utrecht University, Faculty of Geosciences, Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht, the Netherlands; National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Department of Statistics, Informatics and Modelling, Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| | - Alexander K T Kirschner
- Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Austria; Division Water Quality and Health, Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Microbiology, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Krems an der Donau, Austria
| | - Gerhard Lindner
- Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management, TU Wien, Austria
| | - Julia Walochnik
- Institute of Specific Prophylaxis and Tropical Medicine, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Gabrielle Stalder
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Regina Sommer
- Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Ernis Saracevic
- Institute for Water Quality and Resource Management, TU Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - Matthias Zessner
- Institute for Water Quality and Resource Management, TU Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alfred P Blaschke
- Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management, TU Wien, Austria
| | - Andreas H Farnleitner
- Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Research Group Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics 166/5/3, TU Wien, Austria.; Division Water Quality and Health, Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Microbiology, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Krems an der Donau, Austria
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11
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Kolarević S, Micsinai A, Szántó-Egész R, Lukács A, Kračun-Kolarević M, Djordjevic A, Vojnović-Milutinović D, Marić JJ, Kirschner AKT, Farnleitner AAH, Linke R, Đukic A, Kostić-Vuković J, Paunović M. Wastewater-based epidemiology in countries with poor wastewater treatment - Epidemiological indicator function of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in surface waters. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 843:156964. [PMID: 35764146 PMCID: PMC9232394 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Revised: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) surveillance of COVID-19 and other future outbreaks is a challenge for developing countries as most households are not connected to a sewerage system. In December 2019, SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in the Danube River at a site severely affected by wastewaters from Belgrade. Rivers are much more complex systems than wastewater systems, and efforts are needed to address all the factors influencing the adoption of WBE as an alternative to targeting raw wastewater. Our objective was to provide a more detailed insight into the potential of SARS-CoV-2 surveillance in Serbian surface waters for epidemiological purposes. Water samples were collected at 12 sites along the Sava and Danube rivers in Belgrade during the fourth COVID-19 wave in Serbia that started in late February 2021. RNA was concentrated using Amicon Ultra-15 centrifugal filters and quantified using RT-qPCR with primer sets targeting nucleocapsid (N1 and N2) and envelope (E) protein genes. Microbiological (faecal indicator bacteria and human and animal genetic faecal source tracking markers), epidemiological, physicochemical and hydromorphological parameters were analysed in parallel. From 44 samples, SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in 31, but only at 4 concentrations above the level of quantification (ranging from 8.47 × 103 to 2.07 × 104 gc/L). The results indicated that surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in surface waters as ultimate recipients could be used as an epidemiological early-warning tool in countries lacking wastewater treatment and proper sewerage infrastructure. The performance of the applied approach, including advanced sampling site characterization to trace and identify sites with significant raw sewage influence from human populations, could be further improved by adaptation of the methodology for processing higher volumes of samples and enrichment factors, which should provide the quantitative instead of qualitative data needed for WBE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stoimir Kolarević
- University of Belgrade, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković", National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia.
| | - Adrienn Micsinai
- WESSLING Hungary Ltd., Anonymous str 6., H-1045 Budapest, Hungary
| | | | - Alena Lukács
- Biomi Ltd., Szent-Györgyi Albert str 4, H-2100 Gödöllő, Hungary
| | - Margareta Kračun-Kolarević
- University of Belgrade, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković", National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Ana Djordjevic
- University of Belgrade, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković", National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Danijela Vojnović-Milutinović
- University of Belgrade, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković", National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Jovana Jovanović Marić
- University of Belgrade, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković", National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Alexander K T Kirschner
- Medical University Vienna, Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology - Water Microbiology, Kinderspitalgasse 15, Vienna, Austria; Interuniversity Cooperation Center Water and Health (ICC), Austria; Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Division Water Quality & Health, Dr.-Karl-Dorrek-Straße 30, A-3500 Krems, Austria
| | - Andreas A H Farnleitner
- Interuniversity Cooperation Center Water and Health (ICC), Austria; Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Division Water Quality & Health, Dr.-Karl-Dorrek-Straße 30, A-3500 Krems, Austria; Technische Universität Wien, Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Research Group for Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics 166/5/3, Gumpendorferstraße 1a, A-1060 Vienna, Austria
| | - Rita Linke
- Interuniversity Cooperation Center Water and Health (ICC), Austria; Technische Universität Wien, Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Research Group for Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics 166/5/3, Gumpendorferstraße 1a, A-1060 Vienna, Austria
| | - Aleksandar Đukic
- University of Belgrade, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Bulevar kralja Aleksandra 73, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Jovana Kostić-Vuković
- University of Belgrade, Institute for Multidisciplinary Research, Department of Biology and Inland Water Protection, Kneza Višeslava 1, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Momir Paunović
- University of Belgrade, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković", National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia
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12
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Apex Predators Enhance Environmental Adaptation but Reduce Community Stability of Bacterioplankton in Crustacean Aquaculture Ponds. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231810785. [PMID: 36142697 PMCID: PMC9506085 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231810785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Aquaculture environments harbor complex bacterial communities that are critical for the growth and health of culture species. Apex predators are frequently added to aquaculture ponds to improve ecosystem stability. However, limited research has explored the effects of apex predators on the composition and function of bacterioplankton communities, as well as the underlying mechanisms of community assembly. Using 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) high-throughput sequencing, we investigated bacterioplankton communities of crustacean aquaculture ponds with and without apex predators (mandarin fish, Siniperca chuatsi) throughout the culture process. In addition to investigating differences in bacterioplankton communities, we also explored variations in environmental adaptation, functional redundancy, and community stability. Significant differences were observed in bacterioplankton composition among different cultural stages; there was an increase in Bacteriobota and fermentation-related bacteria, but a decrease in Firmicutes and pathogens in the middle stages of aquaculture. Apex predators increased the abundance of organic matter degradation bacteria and decreased pathogens. Bacterioplankton communities under apex predator disturbances had a wider environmental breadth, indicating broader environmental adaptation. Moreover, functional prediction and network analyses revealed that communities under apex predator disturbances were less functionally redundant and unstable. Based on the null model, stochastic processes drove community assembly during aquaculture, whereas apex predators elevated the contribution of deterministic processes. Greater changes in nitrate in culture ponds caused by apex predator disturbances were decisive in controlling the balance between stochasticity and determinism in community assembly. Our study provided insight into the mechanisms underlying bacterioplankton community assembly in aquaculture systems in response to apex predator disturbances.
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Rusiñol M, Zammit I, Itarte M, Forés E, Martínez-Puchol S, Girones R, Borrego C, Corominas L, Bofill-Mas S. Monitoring waves of the COVID-19 pandemic: Inferences from WWTPs of different sizes. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 787:147463. [PMID: 33989864 PMCID: PMC8103791 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Revised: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater based epidemiology was employed to track the spread of SARS-CoV-2 within the sewershed areas of 10 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Catalonia, Spain. A total of 185 WWTPs inflow samples were collected over the period consisting of both the first wave (mid-March to June) and the second wave (July to November). Concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 RNA (N1 and N2 assays) were quantified in these wastewaters as well as those of Human adenoviruses (HAdV) and JC polyomavirus (JCPyV), as indicators of human faecal contamination. SARS-CoV-2 N gene daily loads strongly correlated with the number of cases diagnosed one week after sampling i.e. wastewater levels were a good predictor of cases to be diagnosed in the immediate future. The conditions present at small WWTPs relative to larger WWTPs influence the ability to follow the pandemic. Small WWTPs (<24,000 inhabitants) had lower median loads of SARS-CoV-2 despite similar incidence of infection within the municipalities served by the different WWTP (but not lower loads of HAdV and JCPyV). The lowest incidence resulting in quantifiable SARS-CoV-2 concentration in wastewater differed between WWTP sizes, being 0.11 and 0.82 cases/1000 inhabitants for the large and small sized WWTP respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Rusiñol
- Institute of Environmental Assessment & Water Research (IDAEA), CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
| | - I Zammit
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; Universitat de Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain
| | - M Itarte
- University of Barcelona, Section of Microbiology, Virology and Biotechnology, Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Faculty of Biology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - E Forés
- University of Barcelona, Section of Microbiology, Virology and Biotechnology, Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Faculty of Biology, Barcelona, Spain; The Water Institute of the University of Barcelona, Spain
| | - S Martínez-Puchol
- University of Barcelona, Section of Microbiology, Virology and Biotechnology, Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Faculty of Biology, Barcelona, Spain; The Water Institute of the University of Barcelona, Spain
| | - R Girones
- University of Barcelona, Section of Microbiology, Virology and Biotechnology, Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Faculty of Biology, Barcelona, Spain; The Water Institute of the University of Barcelona, Spain
| | - C Borrego
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; Universitat de Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain
| | - Ll Corominas
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; Universitat de Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain.
| | - S Bofill-Mas
- University of Barcelona, Section of Microbiology, Virology and Biotechnology, Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Faculty of Biology, Barcelona, Spain; The Water Institute of the University of Barcelona, Spain.
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Mushi D, Kebede G, Linke RB, Lakew A, Hayes DS, Graf W, Farnleitner AH. Microbial faecal pollution of river water in a watershed of tropical Ethiopian highlands is driven by diffuse pollution sources. JOURNAL OF WATER AND HEALTH 2021; 19:575-591. [PMID: 34371495 DOI: 10.2166/wh.2021.269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Tropical communities in the developing world depend heavily on riverine systems for their socioeconomic development. However, these resources are poorly protected from diffuse pollution, and there is a lack of quantitative information regarding the microbial pollution characteristics of riverine water, despite frequently reported gastrointestinal diseases. The aim of our study was to apply faecal taxation (i.e., faecal pellet counting in representative test areas to estimate the potential availability of diffuse pollution sources) in combination with a detailed microbiological faecal pollution analysis in a riverine environment to elucidate the importance of diffuse pollution. To realize this approach, ambient faecal pellets, a multiparametric data set for standard faecal indicator bacteria (SFIB), including Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens spores and enterococci from catchment soil and river water, and a number of riverine water physicochemical variables were analysed during a one-year cycle. We demonstrated that the abundance of ambient faecal pellets, which were consistently counted at reference sites in the catchment, was associated with faecal pollution in the river water. Water SFIB, dissolved oxygen, nutrients, conductivity and total suspended solids were strongly linked with the abundance of ambient faecal pellets in the river catchment, as demonstrated by principal component analysis (PCA). Elevated concentrations of SFIB in the riverine water in the absence of rainfall also suggested the direct input of faecal bacteria into the riverine water by livestock (e.g., during watering) and humans (e.g., during bathing). Statistical analyses further revealed that the microbiological water quality of the investigated riverine water was not influenced by SFIB potentially occurring in the soil. This study demonstrates the importance of diffuse faecal pollution sources as major drivers of the microbiological quality of riverine water in the Ethiopian highlands. In addition, the new successfully applied integrated approach could be very useful for developing predictive models, which would aid in forecasting riverine microbiological quality in tropical developing countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas Mushi
- Department of Biosciences, Solomon Mahlangu College of Science and Education, Sokoine University of Agriculture, P.O. Box 3038, Morogoro, Tanzania E-mail: ; Douglas Mushi and Geda Kebede contributed equally to this article
| | - Geda Kebede
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ambo University, P.O. Box 95, Ambo, Ethiopia; Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management (IHG), BOKU, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Gregor-Mendel-Straße 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria; Douglas Mushi and Geda Kebede contributed equally to this article
| | - Rita B Linke
- Research Group of Environmental Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics 166/5/3, Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, TU Wien, Gumpendorferstrasse 1A/166, 1060 Vienna, Austria
| | - Aschalew Lakew
- National Fishery and Aquatic Life Research Centre, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), P.O. Box 64, Sebeta, Ethiopia
| | - Daniel S Hayes
- Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management (IHG), BOKU, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Gregor-Mendel-Straße 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria; Centro de Estudos Florestais (CEF), University of Lisbon, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Wolfram Graf
- Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management (IHG), BOKU, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Gregor-Mendel-Straße 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria
| | - Andreas H Farnleitner
- Research Group of Environmental Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics 166/5/3, Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, TU Wien, Gumpendorferstrasse 1A/166, 1060 Vienna, Austria; Research Division Water Quality and Health, Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Microbiology, Karl Landsteiner University for Health Sciences, Dr.-Karl-Dorrek-Straße 30, 3500 Krems an der Donau, Austria
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15
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Derx J, Demeter K, Linke R, Cervero-Aragó S, Lindner G, Stalder G, Schijven J, Sommer R, Walochnik J, Kirschner AKT, Komma J, Blaschke AP, Farnleitner AH. Genetic Microbial Source Tracking Support QMRA Modeling for a Riverine Wetland Drinking Water Resource. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:668778. [PMID: 34335498 PMCID: PMC8317494 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.668778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Riverine wetlands are important natural habitats and contain valuable drinking water resources. The transport of human- and animal-associated fecal pathogens into the surface water bodies poses potential risks to water safety. The aim of this study was to develop a new integrative modeling approach supported by microbial source tracking (MST) markers for quantifying the transport pathways of two important reference pathogens, Cryptosporidium and Giardia, from external (allochthonous) and internal (autochthonous) fecal sources in riverine wetlands considering safe drinking water production. The probabilistic-deterministic model QMRAcatch (v 1.1 python backwater) was modified and extended to account for short-time variations in flow and microbial transport at hourly time steps. As input to the model, we determined the discharge rates, volumes and inundated areas of the backwater channel based on 2-D hydrodynamic flow simulations. To test if we considered all relevant fecal pollution sources and transport pathways, we validated QMRAcatch using measured concentrations of human, ruminant, pig and bird associated MST markers as well as E. coli in a Danube wetland area from 2010 to 2015. For the model validation, we obtained MST marker decay rates in water from the literature, adjusted them within confidence limits, and simulated the MST marker concentrations in the backwater channel, resulting in mean absolute errors of < 0.7 log10 particles/L (Kruskal–Wallis p > 0.05). In the scenarios, we investigated (i) the impact of river discharges into the backwater channel (allochthonous sources), (ii) the resuspension of pathogens from animal fecal deposits in inundated areas, and (iii) the pathogen release from animal fecal deposits after rainfall (autochthonous sources). Autochthonous and allochthonous human and animal sources resulted in mean loads and concentrations of Cryptosporidium and Giardia (oo)cysts in the backwater channel of 3–13 × 109 particles/hour and 0.4–1.2 particles/L during floods and rainfall events, and in required pathogen treatment reductions to achieve safe drinking water of 5.0–6.2 log10. The integrative modeling approach supports the sustainable and proactive drinking water safety management of alluvial backwater areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Derx
- Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management, Vienna, Austria
| | - Katalin Demeter
- Research Group Environmental Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics E166/5/3, Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rita Linke
- Research Group Environmental Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics E166/5/3, Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sílvia Cervero-Aragó
- Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gerhard Lindner
- Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gabrielle Stalder
- Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jack Schijven
- Department of Statistics, Informatics and Modelling, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, Netherlands.,Faculty of Geosciences, Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Regina Sommer
- Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Julia Walochnik
- Institute of Specific Prophylaxis and Tropical Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alexander K T Kirschner
- Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Division Water Quality and Health, Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Microbiology, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Krems an der Donau, Austria
| | - Jürgen Komma
- Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alfred P Blaschke
- Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management, Vienna, Austria
| | - Andreas H Farnleitner
- Research Group Environmental Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics E166/5/3, Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Vienna, Austria.,Division Water Quality and Health, Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Microbiology, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Krems an der Donau, Austria
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16
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Alegbeleye O, Alisoltani A, Abia ALK, Awe AA, Adetunji AT, Rabiu S, Opeolu BO. Investigation into the bacterial diversity of sediment samples obtained from Berg River, Western Cape, South Africa. Folia Microbiol (Praha) 2021; 66:931-947. [PMID: 34224087 DOI: 10.1007/s12223-021-00893-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
This study used conventional culturing and 16S rRNA metagenomics analyses to assess the diversity of bacterial communities in sediment samples obtained from the Berg River, Western Cape, South Africa. Samples were collected from six points: a residential and recreational area, an industrial area, an informal residential settlement, a point next to a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), a pumping station, and a residential and agricultural farming area along the river. High bacterial counts recorded on general selective and differential culture media signify substantial microbial contamination along the sampling sites. The most prevalent bacterial phyla detected (through metagenomics analyses) along the sampling sites were Proteobacteria (61%), Planctomycetes (9.5%), Firmicutes (7.8%), Bacteroidetes (5%), Acidobacteria (4.6%), and Actinobacteria (4.6%). Some members of the identified predominant bacterial phyla, genera, and classes are important public health bacteria that have been implicated in human diseases and outbreaks, while some others are metal or hydrocarbon tolerant, indicating possible significant environmental pollution. Notable human pathogenic genera such as Bacillus, Clostridium, Shigella, Legionella, Mycobacterium, and Pseudomonas were identified in varying percentages at five of the six sampling areas. Fecal contamination was particularly rife at all residential areas, with the informal housing area being the most notably polluted. Diverse functional pathways were predicted for identified bacteria, such as those associated with different chronic and infectious human diseases as well as those related to hydrocarbon and metal remediation. The point next to a WWTP contained vastly diverse groups of bacterial contaminants as well as the most abundant pathway identities and titles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oluwadara Alegbeleye
- Department of Food Science, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Rua Monteiro Lobato, 80, Campinas, SP, 13083-862, Brazil.
| | | | - Akebe Luther King Abia
- Antimicrobial Research Unit, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Adetunji Ajibola Awe
- Department of Conservation and Marine Sciences, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Adewole Tomiwa Adetunji
- Department of Agriculture, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Western Cape, Wellington, 7654, South Africa
| | - Saidat Rabiu
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Studies, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Beatrice Olutoyin Opeolu
- Extended Curriculum Programmes, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa
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17
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Reynolds LJ, Martin NA, Sala-Comorera L, Callanan K, Doyle P, O'Leary C, Buggy P, Nolan TM, O'Hare GMP, O'Sullivan JJ, Meijer WG. Identifying Sources of Faecal Contamination in a Small Urban Stream Catchment: A Multiparametric Approach. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:661954. [PMID: 34267734 PMCID: PMC8276237 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.661954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Small urban streams discharging in the proximity of bathing waters may significantly contribute to the deterioration of water quality, yet their impact may be overlooked. This study focuses on the Elm Park stream in the city of Dublin that is subject to faecal contamination by unidentified sources. The aim of the study was to identify a minimum number of “sentinel” sampling stations in an urban catchment that would provide the maximum amount of information regarding faecal pollution in the catchment. Thus, high-resolution sampling within the catchment was carried out over the course of 1 year at 11 stations. Faecal indicator bacteria were enumerated and microbial source tracking (MST) was employed to evaluate human pollution. In addition, ammonium, total oxidised nitrogen, and phosphorus levels were monitored to determine if these correlated with faecal indicator and the HF183 MST marker. In addition, the effect of severe weather events on water quality was assessed using automated sampling at one of the identified “sentinel” stations during baseflow and high flow conditions over a 24-h period. Our results show that this urban stream is at times highly contaminated by point source faecal pollution and that human faecal pollution is pervasive in the catchment. Correlations between ammonium concentrations and faecal indicator bacteria (FIB) as well as the human MST marker were observed during the study. Cluster analysis identified four “sentinel” stations that provide sufficient information on faecal pollution in the stream, thus reducing the geographical complexity of the catchment. Furthermore, ammonium levels strongly correlated with FIB and the human HF183 MST marker under high flow conditions at key “sentinel” stations. This work demonstrates the effectiveness of pairing MST, faecal indicators, and ammonium monitoring to identify “sentinel” stations that could be more rapidly assessed using real-time ammonium readouts to assess remediation efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liam J Reynolds
- UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, UCD Earth Institute, and UCD Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Niamh A Martin
- UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, UCD Earth Institute, and UCD Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Laura Sala-Comorera
- UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, UCD Earth Institute, and UCD Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Kevin Callanan
- Central Laboratory, Dublin City Council, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Padraig Doyle
- Drainage Planning, Policy and Development Control, Dublin City Council, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Clare O'Leary
- Central Laboratory, Dublin City Council, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Paul Buggy
- Municipal Services, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Tristan M Nolan
- UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, UCD Earth Institute, and UCD Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Gregory M P O'Hare
- UCD School of Computer Science, UCD Earth Institute, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - John J O'Sullivan
- UCD School of Civil Engineering, UCD Dooge Centre for Water Resources Research, UCD Earth Institute, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Wim G Meijer
- UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, UCD Earth Institute, and UCD Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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18
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Ballesté E, Blanch AR, Mendez J, Sala-Comorera L, Maunula L, Monteiro S, Farnleitner AH, Tiehm A, Jofre J, García-Aljaro C. Bacteriophages Are Good Estimators of Human Viruses Present in Water. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:619495. [PMID: 34012424 PMCID: PMC8128106 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.619495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The detection of fecal viral pathogens in water is hampered by their great variety and complex analysis. As traditional bacterial indicators are poor viral indicators, there is a need for alternative methods, such as the use of somatic coliphages, which have been included in water safety regulations in recent years. Some researchers have also recommended the use of reference viral pathogens such as noroviruses or other enteric viruses to improve the prediction of fecal viral pollution of human origin. In this work, phages previously tested in microbial source tracking studies were compared with norovirus and adenovirus for their suitability as indicators of human fecal viruses. The phages, namely those infecting human-associated Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron strain GA17 (GA17PH) and porcine-associated Bacteroides strain PG76 (PGPH), and the human-associated crAssphage marker (crAssPH), were evaluated in sewage samples and fecal mixtures obtained from different animals in five European countries, along with norovirus GI + GII (NoV) and human adenovirus (HAdV). GA17PH had an overall sensitivity of ≥83% and the highest specificity (>88%) for human pollution source detection. crAssPH showed the highest sensitivity (100%) and specificity (100%) in northern European countries but a much lower specificity in Spain and Portugal (10 and 30%, respectively), being detected in animal wastewater samples with a high concentration of fecal indicators. The correlations between GA17PH, crAssPH, or the sum of both (BACPH) and HAdV or NoV were higher than between the two human viruses, indicating that bacteriophages are feasible indicators of human viral pathogens of fecal origin and constitute a promising, easy to use and affordable alternative to human viruses for routine water safety monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisenda Ballesté
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anicet R. Blanch
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Javier Mendez
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Laura Sala-Comorera
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Leena Maunula
- Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Silvia Monteiro
- Laboratório Analises, Instituto Superior Tecnico, Universidade Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Andreas H. Farnleitner
- Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Research Group Environmental Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics 166/5/3, TU Wien, Vienna, Austria
- Research Division Water Quality and Health, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Krems an der Donau, Austria
| | - Andreas Tiehm
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, DVGW-Technologiezentrum Wasser, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Joan Jofre
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Cristina García-Aljaro
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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19
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Chen H, Liu C, Li Y, Teng Y. Integrating Metagenomic and Bayesian Analyses to Evaluate the Performance and Confidence of CrAssphage as an Indicator for Tracking Human Sewage Contamination in China. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 55:4992-5000. [PMID: 33715349 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c00071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Recently, crAssphage has been proposed as a human-specific marker for tracking fecal contamination. However, its performance has always been validated in a limited number of host samples, which may obscure our understanding of its utility. Furthermore, few studies have quantified confidence of fecal contamination when using crAssphage. Here, we evaluate the performance and confidence of crAssphage by analyzing a large panel of metagenomic data sets combined with Bayesian analyses. Results demonstrate that crAssphage exhibits superior performance with high host sensitivity and specificity, indicating its suitability for tracking human fecal sources. With the marker, a high confidence (>90%) can be obtained and particularly, multiple samples with positive results provide a near certainty of confidence. The application of crAssphage in the sediments of three Chinese urban rivers shows a high confidence of >97% of human fecal contamination, suggesting the serious challenge of sewage pollution in these environments. Additionally, significant correlation is observed between crAssphage and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), expanding the utilization of crAssphage for pollution management of ARGs. This study highlights the benefit of using metagenomic-based analysis for evaluating the performance and confidence of microbial source tracking markers in the coming era of big data with increasing resources in available metagenomic data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haiyang Chen
- Engineering Research Center of Groundwater Pollution Control and Remediation, Ministry of Education; College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, No. 19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing 100875, P. R. China
| | - Chang Liu
- Engineering Research Center of Groundwater Pollution Control and Remediation, Ministry of Education; College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, No. 19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing 100875, P. R. China
| | - Yuezhao Li
- Engineering Research Center of Groundwater Pollution Control and Remediation, Ministry of Education; College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, No. 19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing 100875, P. R. China
| | - Yanguo Teng
- Engineering Research Center of Groundwater Pollution Control and Remediation, Ministry of Education; College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, No. 19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing 100875, P. R. China
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20
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Zeki S, Aslan A, Burak S, Rose JB. Occurrence of a human-associated microbial source tracking marker and its relationship with faecal indicator bacteria in an urban estuary. Lett Appl Microbiol 2020; 72:167-177. [PMID: 33025621 DOI: 10.1111/lam.13405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Revised: 09/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
One of the main impacts of urban sprawl in rapidly growing countries has been contamination of coastal environments by waterborne pathogens, posing a critical risk to ecosystem and human health. Microbial source tracking (MST) has been a robust tool to identify the origin of these pathogens globally. This study compared the occurrence of a human-associated Bacteroides marker (BT-α) with faecal indicator bacteria (FIB) in an urban estuary (Golden Horn, Istanbul, Turkey). Faecal coliform (culture method), enterococci (both culture and qPCR method) concentrations and physicochemical variables were compared with the BT-α concentrations in monthly collected samples for a year (n = 108). Enterococci concentrations detected by culture and qPCR were positively correlated (r = 0·86, P < 0·01) suggesting that qPCR can be an alternative method for monitoring. BT-α marker was positive for 30% of the samples and positively correlated with enterococci (r = 0·61 and r = 0·64 for culture and qPCR methods respectively, P < 0·01). Rainfall had a moderate positive correlation with all faecal/MST indicators suggesting combined sewer overflows also severely impacted estuarine water quality. The high FIB and BT-α concentrations at upper estuary suggested that faecal pollution mainly originated from the peri-urban settlements around two creeks entering the estuary.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Zeki
- Department of Marine Environment, Institute of Marine Sciences and Management, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - A Aslan
- Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Environmental Health Sciences, Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA, USA
| | - S Burak
- Department of Marine Environment, Institute of Marine Sciences and Management, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - J B Rose
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
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21
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Bunce JT, Robson A, Graham DW. Seasonal influences on the use of genetic markers as performance indicators for small wastewater treatment plants. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 739:139928. [PMID: 32540662 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2020] [Revised: 05/31/2020] [Accepted: 06/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The development of microbial source tracking methods has resulted in an array of genetic faecal markers for assessing human health risks posed from surface water pollution. However, their use as performance metrics at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) has not been explored extensively. Here we compared three Bacteroides (HF183, HumM2, AllBac) and two E. coli (H8, RodA) genetic markers for summer and winter performance monitoring at twelve small rural (<250 PE) and three larger WWTPs in NE England. Small WWTPs are of interest because they are poorly understood and their impact on surface water quality may be underestimated. Overall, genetic marker data showed significant differences in treatment performance at smaller versus larger WWTPs. For example, effluent abundances of HF183 and HumM2 were significantly higher in smaller systems (p = 0.003 for HumM2; p = 0.02 for HF183). Genetic markers also showed significant differences in performance between seasons (p < 0.01, n = 120), with human-specific markers (i.e., HF183, HumM2, H8) being generally better for summer WWTP monitoring. In contrast, Bacteroides markers were much more suitable for winter monitoring, possibly because the E. coli markers are less sensitive to differences in temperature and sunlight conditions. Overall, Bacteroides markers best described WWTP treatment performance across all samples, although seasonal differences suggest caution is needed when markers are used for performance monitoring. Genetic markers definitely provide rapid and new information about WWTP performance, but more spatially diverse studies are needed to refine their use for routine WWTP monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua T Bunce
- School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Aidan Robson
- School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - David W Graham
- School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
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22
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Frick C, Vierheilig J, Nadiotis-Tsaka T, Ixenmaier S, Linke R, Reischer GH, Komma J, Kirschner AKT, Mach RL, Savio D, Seidl D, Blaschke AP, Sommer R, Derx J, Farnleitner AH. Elucidating fecal pollution patterns in alluvial water resources by linking standard fecal indicator bacteria to river connectivity and genetic microbial source tracking. WATER RESEARCH 2020; 184:116132. [PMID: 32777635 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.116132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2020] [Revised: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
A novel concept for fecal pollution analysis was applied at alluvial water resources to substantially extend the information provided by fecal indicator bacteria (FIB). FIB data were linked to river connectivity and genetic microbial source tracking (MST). The concept was demonstrated at the Danube River and its associated backwater area downstream of the city of Vienna, using a comprehensive 3-year data set (10 selected sites, n = 317 samples). Enumeration of Escherichia coli (ISO 16649-2), intestinal enterococci (ISO 7899-2) and Clostridium perfringens (ISO 14189) revealed a patchy distribution for the investigation area. Based on these parameters alone a clear interpretation of the observed fecal contamination patterns was not possible. Comparison of FIB concentrations to river connectivity allowed defining sites with dominating versus rare fecal pollution influence from the River Danube. A strong connectivity gradient at the selected backwater sites became obvious by 2D hydrodynamic surface water modeling, ranging from 278 days (25%) down to 5 days (<1%) of hydraulic connectivity to the River Danube within the 3-year study period. Human sewage pollution could be identified as the dominating fecal source at the highly connected sites by adding information from MST analysis. In contrast, animal fecal pollution proofed to be dominating in areas with low river connectivity. The selection of genetic MST markers was focusing on potentially important pollution sources in the backwater area, using human (BacHum, HF183II), ruminant (BacR) and pig (Pig2Bac) -associated quantitative PCR assays. The presented approach is assumed to be useful to characterize alluvial water resources for water safety management throughout the globe, by allocating fecal pollution to autochthonous, allochthonous, human or animal contamination components. The established river connectivity metric is not limited to bacterial fecal pollution, but can be applied to any type of chemical and microbiological contamination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Frick
- Municipal Department 39, Rinnböckstraße 15/2, 1110, Vienna, Austria; Centre for Water Resource Systems (CWRS), TU Wien, Karlsplatz 13, 1040, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Julia Vierheilig
- Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Division Water Quality and Health, Dr.-Karl-Dorrek-Straße 30, 3500, Krems an der Donau, Austria; Interuniversity Cooperation Centre for Water and Health, Austria.
| | | | - Simone Ixenmaier
- Interuniversity Cooperation Centre for Water and Health, Austria; Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Research Group Environmental Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics 166/5/3, TU Wien, Gumpendorfer Straße 1A/166, 1060, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Rita Linke
- Interuniversity Cooperation Centre for Water and Health, Austria; Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Research Group Environmental Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics 166/5/3, TU Wien, Gumpendorfer Straße 1A/166, 1060, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Georg H Reischer
- Interuniversity Cooperation Centre for Water and Health, Austria; Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Research Group Environmental Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics 166/5/3, TU Wien, Gumpendorfer Straße 1A/166, 1060, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Jürgen Komma
- Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management, TU Wien, Karlsplatz 13, 1040, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Alexander K T Kirschner
- Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Division Water Quality and Health, Dr.-Karl-Dorrek-Straße 30, 3500, Krems an der Donau, Austria; Interuniversity Cooperation Centre for Water and Health, Austria; Unit of Water Microbiology, Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Robert L Mach
- Research Division Biochemical Technology, Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, TU Wien, 1060, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Domenico Savio
- Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Division Water Quality and Health, Dr.-Karl-Dorrek-Straße 30, 3500, Krems an der Donau, Austria; Interuniversity Cooperation Centre for Water and Health, Austria; Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Research Group Environmental Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics 166/5/3, TU Wien, Gumpendorfer Straße 1A/166, 1060, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Dagmar Seidl
- Municipal Department 39, Rinnböckstraße 15/2, 1110, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Alfred P Blaschke
- Interuniversity Cooperation Centre for Water and Health, Austria; Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management, TU Wien, Karlsplatz 13, 1040, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Regina Sommer
- Interuniversity Cooperation Centre for Water and Health, Austria; Unit of Water Hygiene, Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Julia Derx
- Interuniversity Cooperation Centre for Water and Health, Austria; Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management, TU Wien, Karlsplatz 13, 1040, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Andreas H Farnleitner
- Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Division Water Quality and Health, Dr.-Karl-Dorrek-Straße 30, 3500, Krems an der Donau, Austria; Interuniversity Cooperation Centre for Water and Health, Austria; Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Research Group Environmental Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics 166/5/3, TU Wien, Gumpendorfer Straße 1A/166, 1060, Vienna, Austria.
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Farkas K, Walker DI, Adriaenssens EM, McDonald JE, Hillary LS, Malham SK, Jones DL. Viral indicators for tracking domestic wastewater contamination in the aquatic environment. WATER RESEARCH 2020; 181:115926. [PMID: 32417460 PMCID: PMC7211501 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.115926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Revised: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 05/08/2020] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Waterborne enteric viruses are an emerging cause of disease outbreaks and represent a major threat to global public health. Enteric viruses may originate from human wastewater and can undergo rapid transport through aquatic environments with minimal decay. Surveillance and source apportionment of enteric viruses in environmental waters is therefore essential for accurate risk management. However, individual monitoring of the >100 enteric viral strains that have been identified as aquatic contaminants is unfeasible. Instead, viral indicators are often used for quantitative assessments of wastewater contamination, viral decay and transport in water. An ideal indicator for tracking wastewater contamination should be (i) easy to detect and quantify, (ii) source-specific, (iii) resistant to wastewater treatment processes, and (iv) persistent in the aquatic environment, with similar behaviour to viral pathogens. Here, we conducted a comprehensive review of 127 peer-reviewed publications, to critically evaluate the effectiveness of several viral indicators of wastewater pollution, including common enteric viruses (mastadenoviruses, polyomaviruses, and Aichi viruses), the pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV), and gut-associated bacteriophages (Type II/III FRNA phages and phages infecting human Bacteroides species, including crAssphage). Our analysis suggests that overall, human mastadenoviruses have the greatest potential to indicate contamination by domestic wastewater due to their easy detection, culturability, and high prevalence in wastewater and in the polluted environment. Aichi virus, crAssphage and PMMoV are also widely detected in wastewater and in the environment, and may be used as molecular markers for human-derived contamination. We conclude that viral indicators are suitable for the long-term monitoring of viral contamination in freshwater and marine environments and that these should be implemented within monitoring programmes to provide a holistic assessment of microbiological water quality and wastewater-based epidemiology, improve current risk management strategies and protect global human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kata Farkas
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW, UK; School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge, Anglesey, LL59 5AB, UK.
| | - David I Walker
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Weymouth, Dorset, DT4 8UB, UK
| | | | - James E McDonald
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW, UK
| | - Luke S Hillary
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW, UK
| | - Shelagh K Malham
- School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge, Anglesey, LL59 5AB, UK
| | - Davey L Jones
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW, UK; UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia
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24
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Rusiñol M, Hundesa A, Cárdenas-Youngs Y, Fernández-Bravo A, Pérez-Cataluña A, Moreno-Mesonero L, Moreno Y, Calvo M, Alonso JL, Figueras MJ, Araujo R, Bofill-Mas S, Girones R. Microbiological contamination of conventional and reclaimed irrigation water: Evaluation and management measures. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 710:136298. [PMID: 31923670 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.136298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Revised: 12/21/2019] [Accepted: 12/21/2019] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
The wide diversity of irrigation water sources (i.e., drinking water, groundwater, reservoir water, river water) includes reclaimed water as a requested measure for increasing water availability, but it is also a challenge as pathogen exposure may increase. This study evaluates the level of microbial contamination in different irrigation waters to improve the knowledge and analyses management measures for safety irrigation. Over a one-year period, the occurrence of a set of viruses, bacteria and protozoa, was quantified and the performance of a wetland system, producing reclaimed water intended for irrigation, was characterized. Human fecal pollution (HAdV) was found in most of the irrigation water types analysed. Hepatitis E virus (HEV), an emerging zoonotic pathogen, was present in groundwater where porcine contamination was identified (PAdV). The skin-carcinoma associated Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV), was found occasionally in river water. Noroviruses were detected, as expected, in winter, in river water and reclaimed water. Groundwater, river water and reservoir water also harboured potential bacterial pathogens, like Helicobacter pylori, Legionella spp. and Aeromonas spp. that could be internalized and viable inside amoebas like Acanthamoeba castellanii, which was also detected. Neither Giardia cysts, nor any Cryptosporidium oocysts were detected. The wetland system removed 3 Log10 of viruses and 5 Log10 of bacteria, which resembled the river water quality. Irrigation waters were prone to variable contamination levels and according to the European guidance documents, the E. coli (EC) levels were not always acceptable. Sporadic detection of viral pathogens as NoV GII and HAdV was identified in water samples presenting lower EC than the established limit (100MNP/100 mL). When dealing with reclaimed water as a source of irrigation the analysis of some viral parameters, like HAdV during the peak irrigation period (summer and spring) or NoV during the coldest months, could complement existing water management tools based on bacterial indicators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Rusiñol
- Section of Microbiology, Virology and Biotechnology, Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
| | - Ayalkibet Hundesa
- Section of Microbiology, Virology and Biotechnology, Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Yexenia Cárdenas-Youngs
- Section of Microbiology, Virology and Biotechnology, Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Ana Fernández-Bravo
- Microbiology Unit, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, IISPV, University Rovira and Virgili, Reus, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Alba Pérez-Cataluña
- Microbiology Unit, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, IISPV, University Rovira and Virgili, Reus, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Laura Moreno-Mesonero
- Instituto de Ingeniería del Agua y Medio Ambiente, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain
| | - Yolanda Moreno
- Instituto de Ingeniería del Agua y Medio Ambiente, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain
| | - Miquel Calvo
- Section of Statistics, Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Jose Luis Alonso
- Instituto de Ingeniería del Agua y Medio Ambiente, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain
| | - Maria José Figueras
- Microbiology Unit, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, IISPV, University Rovira and Virgili, Reus, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Rosa Araujo
- Section of Microbiology, Virology and Biotechnology, Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Sílvia Bofill-Mas
- Section of Microbiology, Virology and Biotechnology, Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Rosina Girones
- Section of Microbiology, Virology and Biotechnology, Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
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25
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Xia Y, Tang Y, Shih K, Li B. Enhanced phosphorus availability and heavy metal removal by chlorination during sewage sludge pyrolysis. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2020; 382:121110. [PMID: 31518771 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.121110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2019] [Revised: 08/12/2019] [Accepted: 08/27/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Increasing attention has been paid on the application of sewage sludge-derived biochar as soil amendments, but is always limited by heavy metals. This study conducted experiments on heavy metal removal by adding chlorinating agents (PVC, NaCl, MgCl2, CaCl2) during sludge pyrolysis. The chlorides addition can largely remove heavy metals by achieving the highest removal efficiency with dosage of 80 g(Cl)/kg(dry sludge) at 700 °C. The most effective removal effect was observed for Zn, Mn, Cu and Pb, with removal efficiency from 37.44% to 99.45%, 5.24% to 93.64%, 9.11% to 86.15% and 16.57% to 90.75%, respectively for the sludge before and after chlorination. Furthermore, the P-solubility in neutral ammonium citrate (Pnac) was enhanced after chlorination and the maximum P-solubility can be obtained at 700 °C for each series. After 700 °C pyrolysis, the P-solubility was significantly increased from 40.08% of the sludge biochar to 72.07%, 74.05%, 74.00% and 76.57% of the biochar obtained after adding PVC, NaCl, CaCl2, and MgCl2, respectively. The highest P-solubility was observed in samples with MgCl2 due to the formation of Mg3(PO4)2. This study proposed a novel method to use the sludge biochar as potential P-fertilizer with effective heavy metal removal, finally achieving a "waste-to-resource" strategy for integrated management of sewage sludge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunxue Xia
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, 1088 Xueyuan Blvd, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, 518055, PR China; Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Yuanyuan Tang
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, 1088 Xueyuan Blvd, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, 518055, PR China.
| | - Kaimin Shih
- Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
| | - Bang Li
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, 1088 Xueyuan Blvd, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, 518055, PR China
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26
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He K, Asada Y, Echigo S, Itoh S. Biodegradation of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the sequential combination of activated sludge treatment and soil aquifer treatment. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY 2020; 41:378-388. [PMID: 30010496 DOI: 10.1080/09593330.2018.1499810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2017] [Accepted: 07/08/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Soil aquifer treatment (SAT), applied after activated sludge treatment (AST), has been widely used for wastewater reclamation. AST and SAT show potential for removing micropollutants, including pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs). However, the role of sequential combination of AST and SAT on the biodegradation of PPCPs was not clear in previous studies. In this study, the removal characteristics of PPCPs in AST and SAT were evaluated to assess the legitimacy of sequential combination of AST and SAT. SAT showed effective removals of antibiotics (> 80%), including fluoroquinolones and macrolides by sorption, but poor removals of amide pharmaceuticals (i.e. carbamazepine and crotamiton) were observed in both AST and SAT. Additionally, biodegradation contributed to the effective removal of carboxylic PPCPs (i.e. ketoprofen and gemfibrozil) in both ASTs and SAT, but effective biodegradation of halogenated acid and polycyclic aromatic compounds (i.e. clofibric acid and naproxen) was observed only in SAT (82.1% and 81.8%, respectively). Furthermore, the microbial substrate metabolic patterns showed that amino acids, amines, and polymers were biodegradable in SAT, which was fit for the biodegradation characteristics of PPCPs in SAT. For microbial communities, Proteobacteria were dominant in AST and SAT, but Acidobacteria and Actinobacteria were more abundant in SAT than AST, which could contribute to the effective removals of halogenated acid in SAT. Considering PPCP biodegradation and substrate metabolism, SAT displays a wider range on the biodegradation than AST. Therefore, we conclude that these two processes can complement each other when used for controlling PPCPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai He
- Research Centre for Environmental Quality Management, Kyoto University, Otsu, Shiga, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Asada
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Nishikyo, Kyoto, Japan
- Department of Environmental Health, National Institute of Public Health, Wako, Saitama, Japan
| | - Shinya Echigo
- Department of Environmental Health, National Institute of Public Health, Wako, Saitama, Japan
| | - Sadahiko Itoh
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Nishikyo, Kyoto, Japan
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27
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Prado T, de Castro Bruni A, Barbosa MRF, Garcia SC, de Jesus Melo AM, Sato MIZ. Performance of wastewater reclamation systems in enteric virus removal. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 678:33-42. [PMID: 31075600 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.04.435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2019] [Revised: 04/29/2019] [Accepted: 04/29/2019] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Analysis of virus removal by tertiary or advanced sewage treatment processes is an emerging topic due to importance of reusing water on a global level. This study aimed to monitor important human viral pathogens: the human adenovirus (HAdV), JC polyomavirus (JCV) and Species A rotaviruses (RVA) in urban sewage, secondary effluents and reclaimed water from metropolitan São Paulo (MSP), Brazil. Four large wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in MSP were sampled monthly during a one-year period (April 2015 to March 2016). The viruses were quantified by quantitative PCR (qPCR), and HAdV viability was tested by the integrated cell culture (ICC)-qPCR assay. WWTPs are composed of activated sludge processes and different tertiary treatments (coagulation/sedimentation, sand-anthracite filters, membrane bioreactors (MBRs)/reverse osmosis (RO) and disinfection by chlorination). Physicochemical parameters were also evaluated to verify association with density of viruses detected in different treatment stages. HAdV, JCV and RVA were consistently detected (100%) in the sewage influent samples (range: 106-108 genome copies GC/L). In the secondary effluent, HAdV was detected in 100% (48/48) of the analysed samples, JCV in 85.4% and RVA in 97.9% (range: 104-107 GC/L for all viruses tested). HAdV was the most frequently detected virus in the tertiary effluent (62.2%) (28/45), exhibiting a viability between 0 and 44% of the tested samples in the wastewater reclamation systems. The MBR/RO systems demonstrated better virus removal efficiencies (range: 2.3-2.9 log10). Temperature, pH, turbidity and total organic carbon presented association with the viral density in the reclaimed water samples. Presence of viruses in treated effluents can indicates health risks depending on uses of recovery water. Further risk assessment studies should be conducted to better assess health risks under different exposure scenarios for water recovery in urban settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana Prado
- Department of Environmental Analysis, Division of Microbiology and Parasitology, Environmental Company of the São Paulo State (CETESB), Av. Prof. Frederico Hermann Jr., 345, São Paulo, SP 05459-900, Brazil.
| | - Antônio de Castro Bruni
- Department of Environmental Analysis, Division of Microbiology and Parasitology, Environmental Company of the São Paulo State (CETESB), Av. Prof. Frederico Hermann Jr., 345, São Paulo, SP 05459-900, Brazil
| | - Mikaela Renata Funada Barbosa
- Department of Environmental Analysis, Division of Microbiology and Parasitology, Environmental Company of the São Paulo State (CETESB), Av. Prof. Frederico Hermann Jr., 345, São Paulo, SP 05459-900, Brazil
| | - Suzi Cristina Garcia
- Department of Environmental Analysis, Division of Microbiology and Parasitology, Environmental Company of the São Paulo State (CETESB), Av. Prof. Frederico Hermann Jr., 345, São Paulo, SP 05459-900, Brazil
| | - Adalgisa Maria de Jesus Melo
- Department of Environmental Analysis, Division of Microbiology and Parasitology, Environmental Company of the São Paulo State (CETESB), Av. Prof. Frederico Hermann Jr., 345, São Paulo, SP 05459-900, Brazil
| | - Maria Inês Zanoli Sato
- Department of Environmental Analysis, Division of Microbiology and Parasitology, Environmental Company of the São Paulo State (CETESB), Av. Prof. Frederico Hermann Jr., 345, São Paulo, SP 05459-900, Brazil
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28
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Ballesté E, Pascual-Benito M, Martín-Díaz J, Blanch AR, Lucena F, Muniesa M, Jofre J, García-Aljaro C. Dynamics of crAssphage as a human source tracking marker in potentially faecally polluted environments. WATER RESEARCH 2019; 155:233-244. [PMID: 30851594 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2019.02.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2018] [Revised: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2019] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies have shown that crAssphage is abundant in human faecal samples worldwide. It has thus been postulated as a potential microbial source tracking (MST) marker to detect human faecal pollution in water. However, an effective implementation of crAssphage in water management strategies will depend on an understanding of its environmental dynamics. In this work, the abundance and temporal distribution of crAssphage was analysed in the effluent of wastewater treatment plants using different sewage treatments, and in two rivers (water and sediments) that differ in pollution impact and flow regime. Additionally, the influence of environmental conditions (temperature and rainfall) on the removal of the marker was studied along a river section, and natural inactivation was assessed by a mesocosms approach. Molecular and culture-based tools were used to compare crAssphage abundance and dynamics with those of bacteria and bacteriophages currently applied as global indicators (E. coli, somatic coliphages, Bacteroides GA17 bacteriophages, and the human-associated MST markers HF183 and HMBif). CrAssphage concentrations in sewage effluent and river samples were similar to those of HF183 and HMBif and higher than other general and/or culture-based indicators (by 2-3 orders of magnitude). Measurement of crAssphage abundance revealed no temporal variability in the effluent, although rainfall events affected the dynamics, possibly through the mobilisation of sediments, where the marker was detected in high concentrations, and an increase in diffuse and point pollution. Another factor affecting crAssphage inactivation was temperature. Its persistence was longer compared with other bacterial markers analysed by qPCR but lower than culturable markers. The results of this study support the use of crAssphage as a human source tracking marker of faecal pollution in water, since it has similar abundances to other molecular human MST markers, yet with a longer persistence in the environment. Nevertheless, its use in combination with infectious bacteriophages is probably advisable.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Ballesté
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Microbiology Section, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, E-08028, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - M Pascual-Benito
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Microbiology Section, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, E-08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - J Martín-Díaz
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Microbiology Section, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, E-08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - A R Blanch
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Microbiology Section, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, E-08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - F Lucena
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Microbiology Section, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, E-08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - M Muniesa
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Microbiology Section, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, E-08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - J Jofre
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Microbiology Section, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, E-08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - C García-Aljaro
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Microbiology Section, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, E-08028, Barcelona, Spain
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Russo N, Marzo A, Randazzo C, Caggia C, Toscano A, Cirelli GL. Constructed wetlands combined with disinfection systems for removal of urban wastewater contaminants. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 656:558-566. [PMID: 30529960 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.11.417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2018] [Revised: 11/27/2018] [Accepted: 11/27/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The removal efficiency of an urban wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) to obtain an effluent suitable for agriculture reuse was evaluated in a one-year period, taking into account the Italian wastewater limits and the recent European proposal for the minimum requirements water quality for agricultural irrigation. The secondary effluent of WWTP was treated by three full-scale horizontal sub-surface flow (H-SSF) constructed wetlands (CWs), working in parallel, planted with different macrophytes species, and combined with a UV device and a lagooning system running in series. The H-SSF CW system effectively reduced physico-chemical pollutants and its efficiency was steady over the investigation period, while, Escherichia coli densities always exceed the Italian limits required for wastewater reuse in agriculture. The UV system significantly reduced the microbiological indicators, eliminating E. coli, in compliance with the Italian regulation, and somatic coliphages, although a variable efficacy against total coliforms and enterococci, especially in winter season, was achieved. Although the lagooning unit provides a high removal of the main microbial groups, it did not reduce physico-chemical parameters. Even if the overall performance target, for the whole treatment chain, met the recent log10 reduction (≥5.0), required by the European Commission, the persistence of enterococci, especially in winter season, poses a matter of concern for public health, for the potential risk to serve as a genetic reservoir of transferable antibiotic-resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nunziatina Russo
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environment (Di3A), University of Catania, Via Santa Sofia 100, Catania 95123, Italy
| | - Alessia Marzo
- Center for the Conservation and Management of Nature and Agroecosystems (CUTGANA), University of Catania, via Santa Sofia 98, 95123 Catania, Italy.
| | - Cinzia Randazzo
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environment (Di3A), University of Catania, Via Santa Sofia 100, Catania 95123, Italy
| | - Cinzia Caggia
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environment (Di3A), University of Catania, Via Santa Sofia 100, Catania 95123, Italy
| | - Attilio Toscano
- Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences (DISTAL), Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna, Viale Giuseppe Fanin 50, 40127 Bologna, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Luigi Cirelli
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environment (Di3A), University of Catania, Via Santa Sofia 100, Catania 95123, Italy
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30
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McMinn BR, Klemm S, Korajkic A, Wyatt KM, Herrmann MP, Haugland RA, Lu J, Villegas EN, Frye C. A Constructed Wetland for Treatment of an Impacted Waterway and the Influence of Native Waterfowl on its Perceived Effectiveness. ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING 2019; 128:48-56. [PMID: 31631948 PMCID: PMC6800712 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2018.11.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
A constructed, variable-flow treatment wetland was evaluated for its ability to reduce microbial loads from the Banklick Creek, an impacted recreational waterway in Northern Kentucky. For this study, levels of traditional (Escherichia coli and enterococci measured by culture and molecular techniques) and alternative fecal indicators (infectious somatic and F+ coliphage, Clostridium spp. and Clostridium perfringens by culture), potential pathogens (molecular signal of Campylobacter spp.) as well as various microbial source tracking (MST) markers (human fecal marker HF183 and avian fecal marker GFD) were monitored during the summer and early fall through five treatment stages within the Banklick Creek Wetland. No difference in concentrations of traditional or alternative fecal indicators were observed in any of the sites monitored. Microbial source tracking markers were employed to identify sources of fecal contamination within the wetland. Human marker HF183 concentrations at beginning stages of treatment were found to be significantly higher (P value range: 0.0016-0.0003) than levels at later stages. Conversely, at later stages of treatment where frequent bird activity was observed, Campylobacter and avian marker (GFD) signals were detected at significantly higher frequencies (P value range: 0.024 to <0.0001), and both signals were strongly correlated (P = 0.0001). Our study suggests constructed wetlands are an effective means for removal of microbial contamination in ambient waters, but reliance on general fecal indicators is not ideal for determining system efficacy or assessing appropriate remediation efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian R. McMinn
- National Exposure Research Laboratory Office of Research and Development United States Environmental Protection Laboratory 26 West Martin Luther King Drive Cincinnati, OH 45268 United States
| | - Sara Klemm
- National Exposure Research Laboratory Office of Research and Development United States Environmental Protection Laboratory 26 West Martin Luther King Drive Cincinnati, OH 45268 United States
| | - Asja Korajkic
- National Exposure Research Laboratory Office of Research and Development United States Environmental Protection Laboratory 26 West Martin Luther King Drive Cincinnati, OH 45268 United States
| | - Kimberly M. Wyatt
- Thomas More College 33 Thomas More Parkway Crestview Hills, Kentucky 41017
| | - Michael P. Herrmann
- National Exposure Research Laboratory Office of Research and Development United States Environmental Protection Laboratory 26 West Martin Luther King Drive Cincinnati, OH 45268 United States
| | - Richard A. Haugland
- National Exposure Research Laboratory Office of Research and Development United States Environmental Protection Laboratory 26 West Martin Luther King Drive Cincinnati, OH 45268 United States
| | - Jingrang Lu
- National Exposure Research Laboratory Office of Research and Development United States Environmental Protection Laboratory 26 West Martin Luther King Drive Cincinnati, OH 45268 United States
| | - Eric N. Villegas
- National Exposure Research Laboratory Office of Research and Development United States Environmental Protection Laboratory 26 West Martin Luther King Drive Cincinnati, OH 45268 United States
| | - Craig Frye
- Sanitation District No.1 1045 Eaton Drive Fort Wright, Kentucky 41017
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31
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Zanini A, Petrella E, Sanangelantoni AM, Angelo L, Ventosi B, Viani L, Rizzo P, Remelli S, Bartoli M, Bolpagni R, Chelli A, Feo A, Francese R, Iacumin P, Menta C, Racchetti E, Selmo EM, Tanda MG, Ghirardi M, Boggio P, Pappalardo F, De Nardo MT, Segadelli S, Celico F. Groundwater characterization from an ecological and human perspective: an interdisciplinary approach in the Functional Urban Area of Parma, Italy. RENDICONTI LINCEI. SCIENZE FISICHE E NATURALI 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s12210-018-0748-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Aslan A, Anderson KW, Chapman A. The Impact of Tides on Microbial Water Quality at an Inland River Beach. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY 2018; 47:1123-1129. [PMID: 30272796 DOI: 10.2134/jeq2017.12.0499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Most coastal freshwater ecosystems in the United States have semi-tidal movements during the day. Routine monitoring of these environments is conducted once during the day when tides can be at either ebb or flood conditions, causing a variability in bacterial concentrations and misinterpretation of the illness risk associated with human activities. The occurrence and levels of enterococci (enterococci 23S rDNA [Ent23S]) and human- (HF183) and avian- (GFD) associated microbial source tracking (MST) markers were investigated using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) along with detection of culturable enterococci and environmental parameters. Samples were collected during flood and ebb tide conditions (May-September) from a tidal river used for recreational activities. Culturable enterococci [(420) = 2.093, = 0.040] and Ent23S [(420) = 2.243, = 0.028] controlled for tide type were significantly different; higher enterococci concentrations were detected during the flood tide. Among all samples, 6% were positive for HF183, and GFD was positively correlated with Ent23S ( = 0.92, = 0.029) and conductivity ( = 0.93, = 0.023) during flood tide. Unlike the general assumption that ebb tide flow in a river would likely carry runoff from the land, the microbial contaminants in this case were transported from upstream via ocean water to the river during the flood tide. These results suggest that hydrology and land use patterns must be considered in sampling design when conducting future microbial water quality monitoring programs to better characterize recreational water safety in tidal rivers.
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Mayer R, Reischer GH, Ixenmaier SK, Derx J, Blaschke AP, Ebdon JE, Linke R, Egle L, Ahmed W, Blanch AR, Byamukama D, Savill M, Mushi D, Cristóbal HA, Edge TA, Schade MA, Aslan A, Brooks YM, Sommer R, Masago Y, Sato MI, Taylor HD, Rose JB, Wuertz S, Shanks OC, Piringer H, Mach RL, Savio D, Zessner M, Farnleitner AH. Global Distribution of Human-Associated Fecal Genetic Markers in Reference Samples from Six Continents. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2018; 52:5076-5084. [PMID: 29570973 PMCID: PMC5932593 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.7b04438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2017] [Revised: 03/09/2018] [Accepted: 03/23/2018] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Numerous bacterial genetic markers are available for the molecular detection of human sources of fecal pollution in environmental waters. However, widespread application is hindered by a lack of knowledge regarding geographical stability, limiting implementation to a small number of well-characterized regions. This study investigates the geographic distribution of five human-associated genetic markers (HF183/BFDrev, HF183/BacR287, BacHum-UCD, BacH, and Lachno2) in municipal wastewaters (raw and treated) from 29 urban and rural wastewater treatment plants (750-4 400 000 population equivalents) from 13 countries spanning six continents. In addition, genetic markers were tested against 280 human and nonhuman fecal samples from domesticated, agricultural and wild animal sources. Findings revealed that all genetic markers are present in consistently high concentrations in raw (median log10 7.2-8.0 marker equivalents (ME) 100 mL-1) and biologically treated wastewater samples (median log10 4.6-6.0 ME 100 mL-1) regardless of location and population. The false positive rates of the various markers in nonhuman fecal samples ranged from 5% to 47%. Results suggest that several genetic markers have considerable potential for measuring human-associated contamination in polluted environmental waters. This will be helpful in water quality monitoring, pollution modeling and health risk assessment (as demonstrated by QMRAcatch) to guide target-oriented water safety management across the globe.
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Affiliation(s)
- René
E. Mayer
- Research
Group Environmental Microbiology and Molecular
Diagnostics 166-5-3, Institute of Chemical, Environmental
and Bioscience Engineering, TU Wien, 1060 Vienna, Austria
- Interuniversity
Cooperation Centre Water & Health, Vienna, Austria
| | - Georg H. Reischer
- Research
Group Environmental Microbiology and Molecular
Diagnostics 166-5-3, Institute of Chemical, Environmental
and Bioscience Engineering, TU Wien, 1060 Vienna, Austria
- Molecular
Diagnostics Group, IFA-Tulln, Institute
of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, TU Wien, 3430 Tulln, Austria
| | - Simone K. Ixenmaier
- Research
Group Environmental Microbiology and Molecular
Diagnostics 166-5-3, Institute of Chemical, Environmental
and Bioscience Engineering, TU Wien, 1060 Vienna, Austria
- Interuniversity
Cooperation Centre Water & Health, Vienna, Austria
| | - Julia Derx
- Interuniversity
Cooperation Centre Water & Health, Vienna, Austria
- Institute of Hydraulic
Engineering and Water Resources Management, TU Wien, 1040 Vienna, Austria
| | - Alfred Paul Blaschke
- Interuniversity
Cooperation Centre Water & Health, Vienna, Austria
- Institute of Hydraulic
Engineering and Water Resources Management, TU Wien, 1040 Vienna, Austria
| | - James E. Ebdon
- Environment
& Public Health Research and Enterprise Group, School of Environment
and Technology, University of Brighton, BN2 4GJ Brighton, U.K.
| | - Rita Linke
- Research
Group Environmental Microbiology and Molecular
Diagnostics 166-5-3, Institute of Chemical, Environmental
and Bioscience Engineering, TU Wien, 1060 Vienna, Austria
- Interuniversity
Cooperation Centre Water & Health, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lukas Egle
- Institute for Water Quality
and Resource Management, TU Wien, 1040 Vienna, Austria
| | - Warish Ahmed
- CSIRO
Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Qld 4102, Australia
| | - Anicet R. Blanch
- Department
of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Denis Byamukama
- Department
of Biochemistry, Makerere University, P.O. Box 27755 Kampala, Uganda
| | - Marion Savill
- Affordable Water Limited, 1011 Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Douglas Mushi
- Department
of Biosciences, Sokoine University of Agriculture, PO BOX 3038, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Héctor A. Cristóbal
- Laboratorio
de Aguas y Suelos, Instituto de Investigaciones para la Industria
Química (INIQUI), Consejo Nacional
de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas and Universidad
Nacional de Salta, CP 4400 Salta, Argentina
| | - Thomas A. Edge
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canada Centre for Inland Waters, Burlington, L7S 1A1, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Asli Aslan
- Department
of Epidemiology and Environmental Health Sciences, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, 30460 Georgia, United States
| | - Yolanda M. Brooks
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University East Lansing, 48824 Michigan, United States
| | - Regina Sommer
- Interuniversity
Cooperation Centre Water & Health, Vienna, Austria
- Institute
for Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Water Hygiene, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Yoshifumi Masago
- New
Industry Creation Hatchery Center, Tohoku
University, 980-8579 Sendai, Japan
| | - Maria I. Sato
- Departamento
de Análises Ambientais, CETESB -
Cia. Ambiental do Estado de São Paulo, 05459-900 São
Paulo, Brasil
| | - Huw D. Taylor
- Environment
& Public Health Research and Enterprise Group, School of Environment
and Technology, University of Brighton, BN2 4GJ Brighton, U.K.
| | - Joan B. Rose
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University East Lansing, 48824 Michigan, United States
| | - Stefan Wuertz
- Singapore Centre
for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering and
School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 637551 Singapore
| | - Orin C. Shanks
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office
of Research and Development, 45268 Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
| | | | - Robert L. Mach
- Research Division Biochemical Technology, Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, TU Wien, 1060 Vienna, Austria
| | - Domenico Savio
- Division Water Quality and Health, Department Pharmacology, Physiology and Microbiology, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, 3500 Krems an der Donau, Austria
| | - Matthias Zessner
- Institute for Water Quality
and Resource Management, TU Wien, 1040 Vienna, Austria
| | - Andreas H. Farnleitner
- Research
Group Environmental Microbiology and Molecular
Diagnostics 166-5-3, Institute of Chemical, Environmental
and Bioscience Engineering, TU Wien, 1060 Vienna, Austria
- Interuniversity
Cooperation Centre Water & Health, Vienna, Austria
- Division Water Quality and Health, Department Pharmacology, Physiology and Microbiology, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, 3500 Krems an der Donau, Austria
- Phone: +43 664 605882244; e-mail:
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Savio D, Stadler P, Reischer GH, Kirschner AK, Demeter K, Linke R, Blaschke AP, Sommer R, Szewzyk U, Wilhartitz IC, Mach RL, Stadler H, Farnleitner AH. Opening the black box of spring water microbiology from alpine karst aquifers to support proactive drinking water resource management. WIRES. WATER 2018; 5:e1282. [PMID: 29780584 PMCID: PMC5947618 DOI: 10.1002/wat2.1282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2017] [Revised: 01/25/2018] [Accepted: 01/26/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Over the past 15 years, pioneering interdisciplinary research has been performed on the microbiology of hydrogeologically well-defined alpine karst springs located in the Northern Calcareous Alps (NCA) of Austria. This article gives an overview on these activities and links them to other relevant research. Results from the NCA springs and comparable sites revealed that spring water harbors abundant natural microbial communities even in aquifers with high water residence times and the absence of immediate surface influence. Apparently, hydrogeology has a strong impact on the concentration and size of the observed microbes, and total cell counts (TCC) were suggested as a useful means for spring type classification. Measurement of microbial activities at the NCA springs revealed extremely low microbial growth rates in the base flow component of the studied spring waters and indicated the importance of biofilm-associated microbial activities in sediments and on rock surfaces. Based on genetic analysis, the autochthonous microbial endokarst community (AMEC) versus transient microbial endokarst community (TMEC) concept was proposed for the NCA springs, and further details within this overview article are given to prompt its future evaluation. In this regard, it is well known that during high-discharge situations, surface-associated microbes and nutrients such as from soil habitats or human settlements-potentially containing fecal-associated pathogens as the most critical water-quality hazard-may be rapidly flushed into vulnerable karst aquifers. In this context, a framework for the comprehensive analysis of microbial pollution has been proposed for the NCA springs to support the sustainable management of drinking water safety in accordance with recent World Health Organization guidelines. Near-real-time online water quality monitoring, microbial source tracking (MST) and MST-guided quantitative microbial-risk assessment (QMRA) are examples of the proposed analytical tools. In this context, this overview article also provides a short introduction to recently emerging methodologies in microbiological diagnostics to support reading for the practitioner. Finally, the article highlights future research and development needs. This article is categorized under: 1Engineering Water > Water, Health, and Sanitation2Science of Water > Water Extremes3Water and Life > Nature of Freshwater Ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Domenico Savio
- Division Water Quality and HealthDepartment Pharmacology, Physiology and Microbiology, Karl Landsteiner University of Health SciencesKrems a. d. DonauAustria
- Centre for Water Resource SystemsTechnische Universität WienViennaAustria
| | - Philipp Stadler
- Centre for Water Resource SystemsTechnische Universität WienViennaAustria
- Institute for Water Quality, Resource and Waste ManagementTechnische Universität WienViennaAustria
| | - Georg H. Reischer
- Institute of Chemical, Environmental & Bioscience Engineering, Research Group Environmental Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics166/5/3, Technische Universität WienViennaAustria
- Interuniversity Cooperation Centre for Water and Health, www.waterandhealth.at
| | - Alexander K.T. Kirschner
- Interuniversity Cooperation Centre for Water and Health, www.waterandhealth.at
- Unit Water Hygiene, Institute for Hygiene and Applied ImmunologyMedical University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Katalin Demeter
- Centre for Water Resource SystemsTechnische Universität WienViennaAustria
- Institute of Chemical, Environmental & Bioscience Engineering, Research Group Environmental Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics166/5/3, Technische Universität WienViennaAustria
| | - Rita Linke
- Institute of Chemical, Environmental & Bioscience Engineering, Research Group Environmental Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics166/5/3, Technische Universität WienViennaAustria
- Interuniversity Cooperation Centre for Water and Health, www.waterandhealth.at
| | - Alfred P. Blaschke
- Centre for Water Resource SystemsTechnische Universität WienViennaAustria
- Interuniversity Cooperation Centre for Water and Health, www.waterandhealth.at
- Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources ManagementTechnische Universität WienViennaAustria
| | - Regina Sommer
- Interuniversity Cooperation Centre for Water and Health, www.waterandhealth.at
- Unit Water Hygiene, Institute for Hygiene and Applied ImmunologyMedical University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Ulrich Szewzyk
- Department of Environmental TechnologyTechnical University of BerlinBerlinGermany
| | - Inés C. Wilhartitz
- Department of Environmental MicrobiologyEawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and TechnologyDübendorfSwitzerland
| | - Robert L. Mach
- Institute of Chemical, Environmental & Bioscience Engineering, Research Group Environmental Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics166/5/3, Technische Universität WienViennaAustria
| | - Hermann Stadler
- Department for Water Resources Management and Environmental AnalyticsInstitute for Water, Energy and Sustainability, Joanneum Research, GrazAustria
| | - Andreas H. Farnleitner
- Division Water Quality and HealthDepartment Pharmacology, Physiology and Microbiology, Karl Landsteiner University of Health SciencesKrems a. d. DonauAustria
- Institute of Chemical, Environmental & Bioscience Engineering, Research Group Environmental Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics166/5/3, Technische Universität WienViennaAustria
- Interuniversity Cooperation Centre for Water and Health, www.waterandhealth.at
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Sidhu JPS, Sena K, Hodgers L, Palmer A, Toze S. Comparative enteric viruses and coliphage removal during wastewater treatment processes in a sub-tropical environment. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 616-617:669-677. [PMID: 29103646 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.10.265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2017] [Revised: 10/17/2017] [Accepted: 10/23/2017] [Indexed: 04/14/2023]
Abstract
Microbiological safety of reclaimed water is one of the most important issues in managing potential health risks related to wastewater recycling. Presence and removal of human adenovirus (HAdV), human polyomavirus (HPyV), human torque teno virus (HTtV) and somatic coliphage family Microviridae in three wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) in sub-tropical Brisbane, Australia was investigated. All three WWTPs employ activated sludge process with added on Bardenpho process for nutrient removal. HPyV, HAdV, HTtV and Microviridae were consistently detected in the influent (105 to 106 Genomic copies (GC) L-1) and secondary treated effluent (102 to 103GCL-1). The results of this study suggest that, under appropriate conditions, WWTPs with activated sludge process in sub-tropical climate could be an effective treatment barrier with >3 log10 removal of enteric virus. The geometric mean of pooled data for each virus from all sites showed the highest removal for HPyV (3.65 log10) and lowest for HAdV (2.79 log10) which was statistically significant (p=0.00001). Whereas, the removal rate of HTtV and Microviridae was identical (2.81 log10). A poor correlation between the presence of enteric virus in influent or effluent with routinely monitored physicochemical parameters suggests limited use of physicochemical parameters as predictors of enteric virus presence. High prevalence of HAdV in influent and effluent combined with comparatively low removal suggest that it could be used as a model microorganism for determining enteric virus removal efficacy. Additional tertiary treatment may be required prior to effluent reuse for non-potable purposes or discharge into the recreational waters to prevent exposure of people to health hazards.
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Affiliation(s)
- J P S Sidhu
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecoscience Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Brisbane 4102, Australia; School of Public Health, University of Queensland, Herston Road, Brisbane, Qld 4006, Australia.
| | - K Sena
- Department of Forestry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - L Hodgers
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecoscience Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Brisbane 4102, Australia
| | - A Palmer
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecoscience Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Brisbane 4102, Australia
| | - S Toze
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecoscience Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Brisbane 4102, Australia; School of Public Health, University of Queensland, Herston Road, Brisbane, Qld 4006, Australia
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36
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Jennings WC, Chern EC, O'Donohue D, Kellogg MG, Boehm AB. Frequent detection of a human fecal indicator in the urban ocean: environmental drivers and covariation with enterococci. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE. PROCESSES & IMPACTS 2018; 20:480-492. [PMID: 29404550 PMCID: PMC6686843 DOI: 10.1039/c7em00594f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Fecal pollution of surface waters presents a global human health threat. New molecular indicators of fecal pollution have been developed to address shortcomings of traditional culturable fecal indicators. However, there is still little information on their fate and transport in the environment. The present study uses spatially and temporally extensive data on traditional (culturable enterococci, cENT) and molecular (qPCR-enterococci, qENT and human-associated marker, HF183/BacR287) indicator concentrations in marine water surrounding highly-urbanized San Francisco, California, USA to investigate environmental and anthropogenic processes that impact fecal pollution. We constructed multivariable regression models for fecal indicator bacteria at 14 sampling stations. The human marker was detected more frequently in our study than in many other published studies, with detection frequency at some stations as high as 97%. The odds of cENT, qENT, and HF183/BacR287 exceeding health-relevant thresholds were statistically elevated immediately following discharges of partially treated combined sewage, and cENT levels dissipated after approximately 1 day. However, combined sewer discharges were not important predictors of indicator levels typically measured in weekly monitoring samples. Instead, precipitation and solar insolation were important predictors of cENT in weekly samples, while precipitation and water temperature were important predictors of HF183/BacR287 and qENT. The importance of precipitation highlights the significance of untreated storm water as a source of fecal pollution to the urban ocean, even for a city served by a combined sewage system. Sunlight and water temperature likely control persistence of the indicators via photoinactivation and dark decay processes, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wiley C Jennings
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Environmental Engineering and Science, Stanford University, 94305-4020, USA.
| | - Eunice C Chern
- San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Water Quality Laboratory, 1000 El Camino Real, Millbrae, CA 94030, USA and EPA Region 10 Laboratory, 7411 Beach Dr E, Port Orchard, WA 98366, USA
| | - Diane O'Donohue
- San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Oceanside Biology Laboratory, 3500 Great Highway, San Francisco, CA 94132, USA
| | - Michael G Kellogg
- San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Oceanside Biology Laboratory, 3500 Great Highway, San Francisco, CA 94132, USA
| | - Alexandria B Boehm
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Environmental Engineering and Science, Stanford University, 94305-4020, USA.
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37
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Dias E, Ebdon J, Taylor H. The application of bacteriophages as novel indicators of viral pathogens in wastewater treatment systems. WATER RESEARCH 2018; 129:172-179. [PMID: 29149672 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2017.11.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2017] [Revised: 11/03/2017] [Accepted: 11/08/2017] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Many wastewater treatment technologies have been shown to remove bacterial pathogens more effectively than viral pathogens and, in aquatic environments, levels of traditional faecal indicator bacteria (FIB) do not appear to correlate consistently with levels of human viral pathogens. There is, therefore, a need for novel viral indicators of faecal pollution and surrogates of viral pathogens, especially given the increasing importance of indirect and direct wastewater reuse. Potential candidates include bacteriophages (phages) and the study described here sought to elucidate the relationship between three groups of phages (somatic coliphages (SOMPH), F-RNA coliphages (F-RNAPH) and human-specific phages infecting B. fragilis (Bf124PH) - enumeration using double layer agar technique) and viral pathogens (human adenovirus (HuAdV) and norovirus (NoV) - enumeration using molecular methods) through full-scale municipal wastewater treatment processes. FIB (faecal coliforms (FC) and intestinal enterococci (ENT) - enumeration using membrane filtration) were also monitored. Samples were collected every fortnight, during a twelve-month period, at each stage of four full-scale wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) in southern England (two activated sludge (AS) and two trickling filter (TF) plants) (n = 360 samples). FIB and SOMPH were consistently found in all samples tested, whereas F-RNAPH, Bf124PH and HuAdV were less frequently detected, especially following AS treatment. The detection rate of NoV was low and consequently discussion of this group of viruses is limited. Concentrations of SOMPH and FIB were statistically higher (p value < 0.05) than concentrations of F-RNAPH, Bf124PH and HuAdV in raw wastewater. FIB were more effectively removed than phages in both systems. Removal rates of HuAdV were similar to those of phages at the secondary treatment stage of both systems. In TF systems, HuAdV were removed at the same rate as F-RNAPH, but at lower rates than SOMPH and Bf124PH. The findings suggest that phages (in particular SOMPH) are better indicators of the fate of viral pathogens in WWTP than existing FIB and that these organisms may have a useful role to play in future sanitation safety planning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edgard Dias
- Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, MG, 36036-330, Brazil; The Environment and Public Health Research Group (EPHReG), School of Environment and Technology, University of Brighton, Brighton, BN2 4GJ, UK.
| | - James Ebdon
- The Environment and Public Health Research Group (EPHReG), School of Environment and Technology, University of Brighton, Brighton, BN2 4GJ, UK.
| | - Huw Taylor
- The Environment and Public Health Research Group (EPHReG), School of Environment and Technology, University of Brighton, Brighton, BN2 4GJ, UK.
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Brown KI, Graham KE, Soller JA, Boehm AB. Estimating the probability of illness due to swimming in recreational water with a mixture of human- and gull-associated microbial source tracking markers. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE. PROCESSES & IMPACTS 2017; 19:1528-1541. [PMID: 29114693 DOI: 10.1039/c7em00316a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Beaches often receive fecal contamination from more than one source. Human sources include untreated sewage as well as treated wastewater effluent, and animal sources include wildlife such as gulls. Different contamination sources are expected to pose different health risks to swimmers. Genetic microbial source tracking (MST) markers can be used to detect bacteria that are associated with different animal sources, but the health risks associated with a mixture of MST markers are unknown. This study presents a method for predicting these health risks, using human- and gull-associated markers as an example. Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA) is conducted with MST markers as indicators. We find that risks associated with exposure to a specific concentration of a human-associated MST marker (HF) are greater if the HF source is untreated sewage rather than treated wastewater effluent. We also provide a risk-based threshold of HF from untreated sewage at a beach, to stay below a predicted illness risk of 3 per 100 swimmers, that is a function of gull-associated MST marker (CAT) concentration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kendra I Brown
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Environmental Engineering and Science, Stanford University, 94305-4020, USA.
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39
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Kirschner AKT, Reischer GH, Jakwerth S, Savio D, Ixenmaier S, Toth E, Sommer R, Mach RL, Linke R, Eiler A, Kolarevic S, Farnleitner AH. Multiparametric monitoring of microbial faecal pollution reveals the dominance of human contamination along the whole Danube River. WATER RESEARCH 2017; 124:543-555. [PMID: 28806705 PMCID: PMC5718294 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2017.07.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2017] [Revised: 07/19/2017] [Accepted: 07/20/2017] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
The microbial faecal pollution of rivers has wide-ranging impacts on a variety of human activities that rely on appropriate river water quality. Thus, detailed knowledge of the extent and origin of microbial faecal pollution is crucial for watershed management activities to maintain safe water use. In this study, the microbial faecal pollution levels were monitored by standard faecal indicator bacteria (SFIB) along a 2580 km stretch of the Danube, the world's most international river, as well as the Danube's most important tributaries. To track the origin of faecal pollution, host-associated Bacteroidetes genetic faecal marker qPCR assays for different host groups were applied in concert with SFIB. The spatial resolution analysis was followed by a time resolution analysis of faecal pollution patterns over 1 year at three selected sites. In this way, a comprehensive faecal pollution map of the total length of the Danube was created, combining substantiated information on both the extent and origin of microbial faecal pollution. Within the environmental data matrix for the river, microbial faecal pollution constituted an independent component and did not cluster with any other measured environmental parameters. Generally, midstream samples representatively depicted the microbial pollution levels at the respective river sites. However, at a few, somewhat unexpected sites, high pollution levels occurred in the lateral zones of the river while the midstream zone had good water quality. Human faecal pollution was demonstrated as the primary pollution source along the whole river, while animal faecal pollution was of minor importance. This study demonstrates that the application of host-associated genetic microbial source tracking markers in concert with the traditional concept of microbial faecal pollution monitoring based on SFIB significantly enhances the knowledge of the extent and origin of microbial faecal pollution patterns in large rivers. It constitutes a powerful tool to guide target-oriented water quality management in large river basins.
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Affiliation(s)
- A K T Kirschner
- Medical University of Vienna, Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Water Hygiene, Kinderspitalgasse 15, A-1090 Vienna, Austria; Interuniversity Cooperation Centre for Water & Health, Austria(1).
| | - G H Reischer
- Interuniversity Cooperation Centre for Water & Health, Austria(1); Technische Universität Wien, Institute for Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering, Research Group of Environmental Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics 166/5/4, Gumpendorferstrasse 1A, A-1060 Vienna, Austria
| | - S Jakwerth
- Medical University of Vienna, Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Water Hygiene, Kinderspitalgasse 15, A-1090 Vienna, Austria; Interuniversity Cooperation Centre for Water & Health, Austria(1)
| | - D Savio
- Interuniversity Cooperation Centre for Water & Health, Austria(1); Technische Universität Wien, Institute for Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering, Research Group of Environmental Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics 166/5/4, Gumpendorferstrasse 1A, A-1060 Vienna, Austria
| | - S Ixenmaier
- Technische Universität Wien, Institute for Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering, Research Group of Environmental Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics 166/5/4, Gumpendorferstrasse 1A, A-1060 Vienna, Austria
| | - E Toth
- Eötvös Loránd University of Sciences, Department of Microbiology, Pázmány Postny 1/c, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - R Sommer
- Medical University of Vienna, Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Water Hygiene, Kinderspitalgasse 15, A-1090 Vienna, Austria; Interuniversity Cooperation Centre for Water & Health, Austria(1)
| | - R L Mach
- Technische Universität Wien, Institute for Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering, Research Group of Environmental Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics 166/5/4, Gumpendorferstrasse 1A, A-1060 Vienna, Austria
| | - R Linke
- Interuniversity Cooperation Centre for Water & Health, Austria(1); Technische Universität Wien, Institute for Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering, Research Group of Environmental Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics 166/5/4, Gumpendorferstrasse 1A, A-1060 Vienna, Austria
| | - A Eiler
- eDNA Solutions Ltd, Björkåsgatan 16, 43131 Mölndal, Sweden; University of Gothenburg, Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, Medicinaregatan 9C, 40530 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - S Kolarevic
- University of Belgrade, Chair of Microbiology, Studentski trg 16, SRB-11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - A H Farnleitner
- Interuniversity Cooperation Centre for Water & Health, Austria(1); Technische Universität Wien, Institute for Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering, Research Group of Environmental Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics 166/5/4, Gumpendorferstrasse 1A, A-1060 Vienna, Austria; Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Dr.-Karl-Dorrek-Straße 30, 3500 Krems, Austria.
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40
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Martzy R, Kolm C, Brunner K, Mach RL, Krska R, Šinkovec H, Sommer R, Farnleitner AH, Reischer GH. A loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for the rapid detection of Enterococcus spp. in water. WATER RESEARCH 2017; 122:62-69. [PMID: 28591662 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2017.05.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2017] [Revised: 05/03/2017] [Accepted: 05/03/2017] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Faecal pollution of water and the resulting potential presence of human enteric pathogens is a predominant threat to public health. Microbiological water quality can be assessed by the detection of standard faecal indicator bacteria (SFIB) such as E. coli or certain Enterococcus species. In recent years, isothermal amplification methods have become a useful alternative to polymerase chain reaction (PCR), allowing molecular diagnostics with simple or no instrumentation. In this study, a novel screening method for the molecular detection of Enterococcus spp. by loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is described. A set of six specific LAMP primers was designed to amplify a diagnostic fragment of the Enterococcus 23S rRNA gene, which is present in several enterococcal species targeted by quantitative PCR (qPCR), which is the standard technique recommended by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Sensitivity and specificity tests were performed using a set of 30 Enterococcus and non-target bacterial reference strains. It is shown that LAMP is equally sensitive and even more specific than the qPCR assay. A dilution series of Enterococcus faecalis DNA revealed that the LAMP method can reliably detect 130 DNA target copies per reaction within 45 min. Additionally, enterococci isolated from Austrian surface waterbodies, as well as a set of DNA extracts from environmental waters, were tested. Contingency analysis demonstrated a highly significant correlation between the results of the developed LAMP assay and the reference qPCR method. Furthermore, a simple staining procedure with a fluorescence dye demonstrated the identification of amplified products by eye. In conclusion, this method is an important component for the efficient screening and testing of water samples in low-resource settings lacking sophisticated laboratory equipment and highly trained personnel, requiring only a simple heating block.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roland Martzy
- TU Wien, Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering, Molecular Diagnostics Group, Department IFA-Tulln, Konrad-Lorenz-Straße 20, A-3430, Tulln, Austria; ICC Interuniversity Cooperation Centre Water & Health, Vienna, Austria(1)
| | - Claudia Kolm
- TU Wien, Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering, Molecular Diagnostics Group, Department IFA-Tulln, Konrad-Lorenz-Straße 20, A-3430, Tulln, Austria; ICC Interuniversity Cooperation Centre Water & Health, Vienna, Austria(1)
| | - Kurt Brunner
- TU Wien, Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering, Molecular Diagnostics Group, Department IFA-Tulln, Konrad-Lorenz-Straße 20, A-3430, Tulln, Austria
| | - Robert L Mach
- TU Wien, Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering, Research Group of Environmental Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics 166/5/4, Gumpendorfer Straße 1a, A-1060, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rudolf Krska
- University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), Department IFA-Tulln, Center for Analytical Chemistry, Konrad-Lorenz-Straße 20, A-3430, Tulln, Austria
| | - Hana Šinkovec
- Medical University Vienna, Center for Medical Statistics, Informatics and Intelligent Systems, Section for Clinical Biometrics, Spitalgasse 23, A-1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Regina Sommer
- Medical University Vienna, Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Unit Water Hygiene, Kinderspitalgasse 15, A-1090, Vienna, Austria; ICC Interuniversity Cooperation Centre Water & Health, Vienna, Austria(1)
| | - Andreas H Farnleitner
- TU Wien, Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering, Research Group of Environmental Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics 166/5/4, Gumpendorfer Straße 1a, A-1060, Vienna, Austria; Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Research Unit Water Quality and Health, A-3500, Krems, Austria; ICC Interuniversity Cooperation Centre Water & Health, Vienna, Austria(1)
| | - Georg H Reischer
- TU Wien, Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering, Molecular Diagnostics Group, Department IFA-Tulln, Konrad-Lorenz-Straße 20, A-3430, Tulln, Austria; TU Wien, Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering, Research Group of Environmental Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics 166/5/4, Gumpendorfer Straße 1a, A-1060, Vienna, Austria.
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41
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García-Aljaro C, Ballesté E, Muniesa M, Jofre J. Determination of crAssphage in water samples and applicability for tracking human faecal pollution. Microb Biotechnol 2017; 10:1775-1780. [PMID: 28925595 PMCID: PMC5658656 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.12841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2017] [Revised: 07/21/2017] [Accepted: 07/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent decades, considerable effort has been devoted to finding microbial source-tracking (MST) markers that are suitable to assess the health risks of faecally polluted waters, with no universal marker reported so far. In this study, the abundance and prevalence of a crAssphage-derived DNA marker in wastewaters of human and animal origins were studied by a new qPCR assay with the ultimate aim of assessing its potential as an MST marker. crAssphage showed up to 106 GC/ml in the sewage samples of human origin, in both the total DNA and the viral DNA fraction. In wastewaters containing animal faecal remains, 39% of the samples were negative for the presence of the crAssphage sequence, while those showing positive results (41% of the samples) were at least 1 log10 unit lower than the samples of human origin. Noteworthy, the log10 values of the ratio (R) crAssphage (GC/ml)/Escherichia coli (CFU/ml) varied significantly depending on the human or animal origin (R > 1.5 for human samples and R < -1.5 for animal wastewater samples. This study opens the way for further research to explore if different specific animal variants of crAssphage exist and whether other zones of the crAssphage genome are better suited to source discrimination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina García-Aljaro
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Elisenda Ballesté
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maite Muniesa
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Juan Jofre
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
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42
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McMinn BR, Ashbolt NJ, Korajkic A. Bacteriophages as indicators of faecal pollution and enteric virus removal. Lett Appl Microbiol 2017; 65:11-26. [PMID: 28304098 PMCID: PMC6089083 DOI: 10.1111/lam.12736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2016] [Revised: 03/10/2017] [Accepted: 03/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Bacteriophages are an attractive alternative to faecal indicator bacteria (FIB), particularly as surrogates of enteric virus fate and transport, due to their closer morphological and biological properties. Based on a review of published data, we summarize densities of coliphages (F+ and somatic), Bacteroides spp. and enterococci bacteriophages (phages) in individual human waste, raw wastewater, ambient fresh and marine waters and removal through wastewater treatment processes utilizing traditional treatments. We also provide comparisons with FIB and enteric viruses whenever possible. Lastly, we examine fate and transport characteristics in the aquatic environment and provide an overview of the environmental factors affecting their survival. In summary, concentrations of bacteriophages in various sources were consistently lower than FIB, but more reflective of infectious enteric virus levels. Overall, our investigation indicates that bacteriophages may be adequate viral surrogates, especially in built systems, such as wastewater treatment plants. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY Bacteriophage are alternative fecal indicators that may be better surrogates for viral pathogens than fecal indicator bacteria (FIB). This report offers a summary of the existing literature concerning the utility of bacteriophage as indicators of viral presence (fecal sources and surface waters) and persistence (in built infrastructure and aquatic environments). Our findings indicate that bacteriophage levels in all matrices examined are consistently lower than FIB, but similar to viral pathogens. Furthermore, in built infrastructure (e.g. wastewater treatment systems) bacteriophage closely mimic viral pathogen persistence suggesting they may be adequate sentinels of enteric virus removal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian R. McMinn
- National Exposure Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268 United States
| | - Nicholas J. Ashbolt
- University of Alberta, School of Public Health, 3-57D South Academic Building, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G7, Canada
| | - Asja Korajkic
- National Exposure Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268 United States
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43
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Kolm C, Martzy R, Brunner K, Mach RL, Krska R, Heinze G, Sommer R, Reischer GH, Farnleitner AH. A Complementary Isothermal Amplification Method to the U.S. EPA Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction Approach for the Detection of Enterococci in Environmental Waters. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2017; 51:7028-7035. [PMID: 28541661 PMCID: PMC5573901 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.7b01074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
We report a novel molecular assay, based on helicase-dependent amplification (HDA), for the detection of enterococci as markers for fecal pollution in water. This isothermal assay targets the same Enterococcus 23S rRNA gene region as the existing quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Methods 1611 and 1609 but can be entirely performed on a simple heating block. The developed Enterococcus HDA assay successfully discriminated 15 enterococcal from 15 non-enterococcal reference strains and reliably detected 48 environmental isolates of enterococci. The limit of detection was 25 target copies per reaction, only 3 times higher than that of qPCR. The applicability of the assay was tested on 30 environmental water sample DNA extracts, simulating a gradient of fecal pollution. Despite the isothermal nature of the reaction, the HDA results were consistent with those of the qPCR reference. Given this performance, we conclude that the developed Enterococcus HDA assay has great potential as a qualitative molecular screening method for resource-limited settings when combined with compatible up- and downstream processes. This amplification strategy can pave the way for developing a new generation of rapid, low-cost, and field-deployable molecular diagnostic tools for water quality monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Kolm
- TU
Wien, Institute of Chemical, Environmental
& Biological Engineering, Molecular Diagnostics Group, Department
IFA-Tulln, Konrad-Lorenz-Straße
20, 3430 Tulln, Austria
- ICC
Interuniversity
Cooperation Centre Water & Health, Vienna, Austria (ICC Interuniversity
Cooperation Center Water & Health, Vienna, Austria (www.waterandhealth.at)
| | - Roland Martzy
- TU
Wien, Institute of Chemical, Environmental
& Biological Engineering, Molecular Diagnostics Group, Department
IFA-Tulln, Konrad-Lorenz-Straße
20, 3430 Tulln, Austria
- ICC
Interuniversity
Cooperation Centre Water & Health, Vienna, Austria (ICC Interuniversity
Cooperation Center Water & Health, Vienna, Austria (www.waterandhealth.at)
| | - Kurt Brunner
- TU
Wien, Institute of Chemical, Environmental
& Biological Engineering, Molecular Diagnostics Group, Department
IFA-Tulln, Konrad-Lorenz-Straße
20, 3430 Tulln, Austria
| | - Robert L. Mach
- TU
Wien, Institute of Chemical, Environmental
& Biological Engineering, Research Group of Environmental Microbiology
and Molecular Diagnostics 166/5/4, Gumpendorferstraße 1a, 1060 Vienna, Austria
| | - Rudolf Krska
- University
of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), Department IFA-Tulln, Center for Analytical Chemistry, Konrad-Lorenz-Straße 20, 3430 Tulln, Austria
| | - Georg Heinze
- Medical
University Vienna, Center for Medical Statistics,
Informatics and Intelligent Systems, Section for Clinical Biometrics, Spitalgasse 23, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Regina Sommer
- Medical
University Vienna, Institute for Hygiene
and Applied Immunology, Water Hygiene, Kinderspitalgasse 15, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- ICC
Interuniversity
Cooperation Centre Water & Health, Vienna, Austria (ICC Interuniversity
Cooperation Center Water & Health, Vienna, Austria (www.waterandhealth.at)
| | - Georg H. Reischer
- TU
Wien, Institute of Chemical, Environmental
& Biological Engineering, Molecular Diagnostics Group, Department
IFA-Tulln, Konrad-Lorenz-Straße
20, 3430 Tulln, Austria
- TU
Wien, Institute of Chemical, Environmental
& Biological Engineering, Research Group of Environmental Microbiology
and Molecular Diagnostics 166/5/4, Gumpendorferstraße 1a, 1060 Vienna, Austria
| | - Andreas H. Farnleitner
- TU
Wien, Institute of Chemical, Environmental
& Biological Engineering, Research Group of Environmental Microbiology
and Molecular Diagnostics 166/5/4, Gumpendorferstraße 1a, 1060 Vienna, Austria
- Karl Landsteiner
University of Health Sciences, Research Unit Water Quality and Health, Dr.-Karl-Dorrek-Straße 30, 3500 Krems, Austria
- ICC
Interuniversity
Cooperation Centre Water & Health, Vienna, Austria (ICC Interuniversity
Cooperation Center Water & Health, Vienna, Austria (www.waterandhealth.at)
- Telephone: +43-664-605882244. E-mail:
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44
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Wu B, Wang XC, Dzakpasu M. Genetic characterization of fecal impacts of seagull migration on an urban scenery lake. WATER RESEARCH 2017; 117:27-36. [PMID: 28364653 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2017.03.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2016] [Revised: 03/17/2017] [Accepted: 03/18/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
A microbial source tracking scheme was devised to differentiate fecal impacts of seagulls from that of human activities on an urban scenery lake in southern China, which is a major wintering ground for the black-headed seagull. Fecal contamination of seagulls was characterized by quantifying a novel genetic marker targeting Catellicoccus marimamalium. Quantification of this marker was combined with those of Escherichia coli, human-associated Bacteroidales, thermophilic Campylobacter and Helicobacter. Findings of a year-round study indicate that C. marimamalium levels correlated strongly, both spatially and temporally, with seagull migration. A steady increase in C. marimammalium concentrations was recorded between October 2014 and March 2015, which peaked at about 5-log copies/100 mL in January. However, a background level of about 2.1-log copies/100 mL was noticeable from April through September when seagulls were absent, probably due to other host sources or secondary habitats for C. marimammalium. Seagull migration also caused an apparent elevation of E. coli concentrations (86% and 60%, respectively for qPCR and culture method; p < 0.001) as well as Campylobacter and Helicobacter (66% and 68%, respectively; p < 0.001). Nonetheless, in contrast to the declining levels of E. coli, Campylobacter and Helicobacter, the human-specific Bacteroidales marginally increased in the seagull-absent season, indicating a limited influence of human activities, compared with seagull migration, on the seasonal variations in microbial water quality of the lake. The elevated levels of FIB, Campylobacter and Helicobacter along with C. marimammalium may imply human health risk of the lake water due to seasonal seagull migration, which requires further investigation for risk assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baolei Wu
- International Science & Technology Cooperation Center for Urban Alternative Water Resources Development, Key Lab of Northwest Water Resource, Environment and Ecology, MOE, Key Lab of Environmental Engineering, Engineering Technology Research Center for Wastewater Treatment and Reuse, School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, No. 13, Yanta Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710055, PR China
| | - Xiaochang C Wang
- International Science & Technology Cooperation Center for Urban Alternative Water Resources Development, Key Lab of Northwest Water Resource, Environment and Ecology, MOE, Key Lab of Environmental Engineering, Engineering Technology Research Center for Wastewater Treatment and Reuse, School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, No. 13, Yanta Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710055, PR China.
| | - Mawuli Dzakpasu
- International Science & Technology Cooperation Center for Urban Alternative Water Resources Development, Key Lab of Northwest Water Resource, Environment and Ecology, MOE, Key Lab of Environmental Engineering, Engineering Technology Research Center for Wastewater Treatment and Reuse, School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, No. 13, Yanta Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710055, PR China
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45
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Romanazzi V, Bonetta S, Fornasero S, De Ceglia M, Gilli G, Traversi D. Assessing Methanobrevibacter smithii and Clostridium difficile as not conventional faecal indicators in effluents of a wastewater treatment plant integrated with sludge anaerobic digestion. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2016; 184:170-177. [PMID: 27697372 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.09.081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2016] [Revised: 09/22/2016] [Accepted: 09/25/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) are an important source of surface water contamination by enteric pathogens, affecting the role of environmental water as a microbial reservoir. We describe the release to the environment of certain anaerobes of human and environmental concern. The work was focused on emerging microbial targets. They are tracing, by RT-qPCR, on WWTP effluents, both liquid and solid, when an anaerobic digestion step is included. The focus is placed on Clostridium spp. with the specific quantification of Clostridium perfringens, as typical bioindicator, and Clostridium difficile, as emerging pathogen not only confined into nosocomial infection. Moreover methanogens were quantified for their involvement in the anaerobic digestion, and in particular on Methanobrevibacter smithii as major methanogenic component of the human gut microbiome and as not conventional faecal indicator. In the water samples, a reduction, statistically significant, in all microbial targets was observed (p < 0.01), 2 log for the total bacteria, 1.4 log for the Clostridium spp. and M. smithii, 1 log for total methanogens, C. perfringens and C. difficile. The AD process contribute to a significant change in microbial levels into the sludge for total bacteria and total methanogens (p < 0.01), both when the input sludge are primary and secondary, while for the presence of Clostridium spp. and C. difficile there was not a significant change. The produced data are innovative showing which is the diffusion of such anaerobic microorganisms throughout the WWTP and opening a discussion on the implementation of possible techniques for a more efficient microbial removal from effluents, particularly bio-solids, to reduce the potential release of pathogens into the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Romanazzi
- Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Piazza Polonia 94, 10126 Torino, Italy.
| | - Silvia Bonetta
- Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Piazza Polonia 94, 10126 Torino, Italy.
| | - Stefania Fornasero
- Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Piazza Polonia 94, 10126 Torino, Italy.
| | - Margherita De Ceglia
- SMAT - Depuratore di Castiglione Torinese, Società Metropolitana Acque Torino S.p.A., Corso XI Febbraio 14, 10152 Torino, Italy.
| | - Giorgio Gilli
- Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Piazza Polonia 94, 10126 Torino, Italy.
| | - Deborah Traversi
- Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Piazza Polonia 94, 10126 Torino, Italy.
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46
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Vrzel J, Vuković-Gačić B, Kolarević S, Gačić Z, Kračun-Kolarević M, Kostić J, Aborgiba M, Farnleitner A, Reischer G, Linke R, Paunović M, Ogrinc N. Determination of the sources of nitrate and the microbiological sources of pollution in the Sava River Basin. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2016; 573:1460-1471. [PMID: 27522292 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.07.213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2016] [Revised: 07/29/2016] [Accepted: 07/29/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Coupled measurements of nitrate (NO3-), nitrogen (N), and oxygen (O) isotopic composition (δ15NNO3 and δ18ONO3) were used to investigate the sources and processes of N cycling, while the microbial source tracking (MST) method was used to identify microbiological pollution in the surface water of the Sava River Basin (SRB) in autumn in 2014 and 2015 during high and low water discharge. Atmospheric nitrate deposition or nitrate-containing fertilizers were found not to be significant sources of riverine nitrate in the SRB. The ranges of isotope values suggest that NO3- in the SRB derives from soil nitrification, sewage, and/or manure, which were further supported by MST analysis. Microbiological indicators show the existence of hotspots of fecal pollution in the SRB, which are human associated. Long-term observations indicate persistent fecal contamination at selected locations caused by continuous discharge of untreated wastewaters into the SRB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janja Vrzel
- Department of Geography, University of Munich, Luisenstraße 37, 80333 Munich, Germany; Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Jamova ulica 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Branka Vuković-Gačić
- University of Belgrade, Faculty of Biology, Chair of Microbiology, Center for Genotoxicology and Ecogenotoxicology, Studentski trg 16, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.
| | - Stoimir Kolarević
- University of Belgrade, Faculty of Biology, Chair of Microbiology, Center for Genotoxicology and Ecogenotoxicology, Studentski trg 16, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.
| | - Zoran Gačić
- University of Belgrade, Institute for Multidisciplinary Research, Kneza Višeslava 1, 11030 Belgrade, Serbia.
| | - Margareta Kračun-Kolarević
- University of Belgrade, Institute for Biological Research ¨Siniša Stanković¨, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia.
| | - Jovana Kostić
- University of Belgrade, Institute for Multidisciplinary Research, Kneza Višeslava 1, 11030 Belgrade, Serbia.
| | - Mustafa Aborgiba
- University of Belgrade, Faculty of Biology, Chair of Microbiology, Center for Genotoxicology and Ecogenotoxicology, Studentski trg 16, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.
| | - Andreas Farnleitner
- Vienna University of Technology, Institute for Chemical Engineering, Research Group Environmental Microbiology and Molecular Ecology, The Interuniversity Cooperation Centre Water & Health, Gumpendorfer Straße 1a, 1060 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Georg Reischer
- Vienna University of Technology, Institute for Chemical Engineering, Research Group Environmental Microbiology and Molecular Ecology, The Interuniversity Cooperation Centre Water & Health, Gumpendorfer Straße 1a, 1060 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Rita Linke
- Vienna University of Technology, Institute for Chemical Engineering, Research Group Environmental Microbiology and Molecular Ecology, The Interuniversity Cooperation Centre Water & Health, Gumpendorfer Straße 1a, 1060 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Momir Paunović
- University of Belgrade, Institute for Biological Research ¨Siniša Stanković¨, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia.
| | - Nives Ogrinc
- Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Jamova ulica 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; Department of Environmental Sciences, Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova ulica 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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47
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Harris AR, Pickering AJ, Harris M, Doza S, Islam MS, Unicomb L, Luby S, Davis J, Boehm AB. Ruminants Contribute Fecal Contamination to the Urban Household Environment in Dhaka, Bangladesh. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2016; 50:4642-9. [PMID: 27045990 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b06282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
In Dhaka, Bangladesh, the sensitivity and specificity of three human, three ruminant, and one avian source-associated QPCR microbial source tracking assays were evaluated using fecal samples collected on site. Ruminant-associated assays performed well, whereas the avian and human assays exhibited unacceptable cross-reactions with feces from other hosts. Subsequently, child hand rinses (n = 44) and floor sponge samples (n = 44) from low-income-households in Dhaka were assayed for fecal indicator bacteria (enterococci, Bacteroidales, and Escherichia coli) and a ruminant-associated bacterial target (BacR). Mean enterococci concentrations were of 100 most probable number (MPN)/2 hands and 1000 MPN/225 cm(2) floor. Mean concentrations of Bacteroidales were 10(6) copies/2 hands and 10(5) copies/225 cm(2) floor. E. coli were detected in a quarter of hand rinse and floor samples. BacR was detected in 18% of hand rinse and 27% of floor samples. Results suggest that effective household fecal management should account not only for human sources of contamination but also for animal sources. The poor performance of the human-associated assays in the study area calls into the question the feasibility of developing a human-associated marker in urban slum environments, where domestic animals are exposed to human feces that have been disposed in pits and open drains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela R Harris
- Environmental and Water Studies, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University , Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Amy J Pickering
- Environmental and Water Studies, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University , Stanford, California 94305, United States
- Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University , Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Michael Harris
- Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources, Stanford University , Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | | | | | | | - Stephen Luby
- Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University , Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Jennifer Davis
- Environmental and Water Studies, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University , Stanford, California 94305, United States
- Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University , Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Alexandria B Boehm
- Environmental and Water Studies, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University , Stanford, California 94305, United States
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