Quantification of enterococci and bifidobacteria in Georgia estuaries using conventional and molecular methods.

Fecal pollution is a serious threat to the estuarine environment along the Georgia coast. Culture-dependant and molecular methodologies were utilized to compare and evaluate the abundance of fecal indicator bacteria in four Georgia estuaries (Darien River, Frederica River, Gulley Hole Creek, and St. Marys River).

Rapid detection of human fecal contamination in estuarine environments by PCR targeting of Bifidobacterium adolescentis.

Detection of Bifidobacterium adolescentis was used as an effective genetic marker of human fecal contamination in Georgia estuaries. Enterococci enumerations on mEI media indicated that a tributary to the Little Satilla River with 516 CFU/100 ml was the most polluted of all the rivers tested. Extracted DNA from eight river water samples was subjected to a two-step nested PCR protocol using genus and species specific primers for Bifidobacterium spp.

Identifying sources of fecal contamination inexpensively with targeted sampling and bacterial source tracking.

Most bacterial source tracking (BST) methods are too expensive for most communities to afford. We developed targeted sampling as a prelude to BST to reduce these costs. We combined targeted sampling with three inexpensive BST methods, Enterococcus speciation, detection of the esp gene, and fluorometry, to confirm the sources of fecal contamination to beaches on Georgia's Jekyll and Sea Islands during calm and stormy weather conditions.

Targeted sampling protocol as prelude to bacterial source tracking with Enterococcus faecalis.

Recent studies suggest that host origin databases for bacterial source tracking (BST) must contain a large number of isolates because bacterial subspecies change with geography and time. A new targeted sampling protocol was developed as a prelude to BST to minimize these changes. The research was conducted on the Sapelo River, a tidal river on the Georgia coast.