The prevalence of potential pathogens in ballast water and sediments of oceangoing vessels and implications for management

Baoyi Lv; Guorong Zhu; Wen Tian; Chong Guo; Xiaolan Lu; Yangchun Han; Tingxuan An; Yuxue Cui; Ting Jiang

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2022.114990

The prevalence of potential pathogens in ballast water and sediments of oceangoing vessels and implications for management

Environ Res. 2023 Feb 1:218:114990. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.114990. Epub 2022 Dec 2.

Authors

Baoyi Lv¹, Guorong Zhu², Wen Tian³, Chong Guo⁴, Xiaolan Lu², Yangchun Han⁴, Tingxuan An², Yuxue Cui⁵, Ting Jiang²

Affiliations

¹ International Joint Research Center for Persistent Toxic Substances (IJRC-PTS), College of Ocean Science and Engineering, Shanghai Maritime University, Shanghai, 201306, China. Electronic address: bylv@shmtu.edu.cn.
² International Joint Research Center for Persistent Toxic Substances (IJRC-PTS), College of Ocean Science and Engineering, Shanghai Maritime University, Shanghai, 201306, China.
³ Jiangyin Customs, Jiangyin, 214400, China.
⁴ Maritime Safety Bureau of Yangshan Port, Shanghai, 201306, China.
⁵ Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Biotransformation of Organic Solid Waste, School of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China.

PMID: 36463990
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.114990

Abstract

Ballast water and sediments can serve as prominent vectors for the widespread dispersal of pathogens between geographically distant areas. However, information regarding the diversity and distribution of the bacterial pathogens in ballast water and sediments is highly limited. In this study, using high-throughput sequencing and quantitative PCR, we investigated the composition and abundance of potential pathogens, and their associations with indicator microorganisms. We accordingly detected 48 potential bacterial pathogens in the assessed ballast water and sediments, among which there were significant differences in the compositions and abundances of pathogenic bacterial communities characterizing ballast water and sediments. Rhodococcus erythropolis, Bacteroides vulgatus, and Vibrio campbellii were identified as predominant pathogens in ballast water, whereas Pseudomonas stutzeri, Mycobacterium paragordonae, and Bacillus anthracis predominated in ballast sediments. Bacteroidetes, Vibrio alginolyticus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and Escherichia coli were generally detected with median values of 8.54 × 10³-1.22 × 10⁷ gene copies (GC)/100 mL and 1.16 × 10⁷-3.97 × 10⁹ GC/100 g in ballast water and sediments, respectively. Notably, the concentrations of Shigella sp., Staphylococcus aureus, and V. alginolyticus were significantly higher in ballast sediments than in the water. In addition, our findings tend to confirm that the indicator species specified by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) might underestimate the pathogen risk in the ballast water and sediments, as these bacteria were unable to predict some potential pathogens assessed in this study. In summary, this study provides a comprehensive insight into the spectrum of the potential pathogens that transferred by ship ballast tanks and emphasizes the need for the implementation of IMO convention on ballast sediment management.

Keywords: Ballast water and sediments; Biological invasion; Enteric pathogens; Indicator microorganisms; Pathogens diversity and concentration.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Bacteroidetes*
Prevalence
Ships
Water*

Substances

Water