Correlations between pathogen concentration and fecal indicator marker genes in beach environments

Qian Zhang; Jessica J Eichmiller; Christopher Staley; Michael J Sadowsky; Satoshi Ishii

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.08.122

Correlations between pathogen concentration and fecal indicator marker genes in beach environments

Sci Total Environ. 2016 Dec 15:573:826-830. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.08.122. Epub 2016 Sep 3.

Authors

Qian Zhang¹, Jessica J Eichmiller², Christopher Staley¹, Michael J Sadowsky³, Satoshi Ishii⁴

Affiliations

¹ BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, 1479 Gortner Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55108, United States.
² Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, 135 Skok Hall, 2003 Upper Buford Cir, Saint Paul, MN 55108, United States.
³ BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, 1479 Gortner Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55108, United States; Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota, 1991 Upper Buford Circle, St. Paul, MN 55108, United States.
⁴ BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, 1479 Gortner Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55108, United States; Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota, 1991 Upper Buford Circle, St. Paul, MN 55108, United States. Electronic address: ishi0040@umn.edu.

PMID: 27595940
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.08.122

Abstract

The concentrations of several potential pathogens were measured using a microfluidic quantitative PCR (MFQPCR) platform in beach water, sand, and sediment samples collected in Duluth, MN. Among the 19 pathogen marker genes examined, eaeA from Escherichia coli and plc from Clostridium perfringens were most frequently detected in all samples. In beach water and wastewater samples, positive correlations were observed between quantities of potential pathogens and most of the fecal indicator genetic markers. Such correlations, however, were not frequently observed in sand and sediment samples. Our results suggest that the behavior of potential pathogens and FIB may vary by sample type and source of contamination. Consequently, appropriate FIB marker genes need to be chosen for reliable water/sand quality monitoring.

Keywords: Fecal indicator; Genetic markers; Pathogens; Quantitative PCR; Water quality.

MeSH terms

Bacteria / genetics
Bacteria / isolation & purification*
Bathing Beaches*
Feces / microbiology*
Genes, Bacterial*
Lakes / microbiology
Microfluidic Analytical Techniques
Minnesota
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Wastewater / microbiology*
Water Microbiology*
Water Quality

Substances

Waste Water