Use of Escherichia coli genes associated with human sewage to track fecal contamination source in subtropical waters.

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is frequently used in assessment and regulation of recreational water quality, but it is a general fecal indicator that provides no information about fecal contamination source. Sewage-associated microorganisms and related marker genes have proven useful for microbial source tracking (MST) applications that link fecal contamination to host sources, but many MST marker genes are carried in taxa not used in regulatory contexts.

Precipitation influences pathogenic bacteria and antibiotic resistance gene abundance in storm drain outfalls in coastal sub-tropical waters.

Stormwater contamination can threaten the health of aquatic ecosystems and human exposed to runoff via nutrient and pathogen influxes. In this study, the concentrations of 11 bacterial pathogens and 47 antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) were determined by using high-throughput microfluidic qPCR (MFQPCR) in several storm drain outfalls (SDOs) during dry and wet weather in Tampa Bay, Florida, USA. Data generated in this study were also compared with the levels of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) and sewage-associated molecular markers (i.

Evaluation of the novel crAssphage marker for sewage pollution tracking in storm drain outfalls in Tampa, Florida.

CrAssphage are recently-discovered DNA bacteriophages that are prevalent and abundant in human feces and sewage. We assessed the performance characteristics of a crAssphage quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay for quantifying sewage impacts in stormwater and surface water in subtropical Tampa, Florida. The mean concentrations of crAssphage in untreated sewage ranged from 9.

Agrochemicals indirectly increase survival of E. coli O157:H7 and indicator bacteria by reducing ecosystem services.

Storm water and agricultural runoff frequently contain agrochemicals, fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), and zoonotic pathogens. Entry of such contaminants into aquatic ecosystems may affect ecology and human health. This study tested the hypothesis that the herbicide atrazine and the fungicide chlorothalonil indirectly affect the survival of FIB (Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis) and a pathogen (E.

Lack of direct effects of agrochemicals on zoonotic pathogens and fecal indicator bacteria.

Agrochemicals, fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), and pathogens frequently contaminate water simultaneously. No significant direct effects of fertilizer, atrazine, malathion, and chlorothalonil on the survival of Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Salmonella enterica, human polyomaviruses, and adenovirus were detected, supporting the assertion that previously observed effects of agrochemicals on FIB were indirect.