E.coli may survive in green algae mats
Ann Arbor, MI — Escherichia coli, or E.coli , is used as the indicator organism for fecal pollution at recreational beaches around the Great Lakes.
The green algae Cladophora has made a resurgence around the Great Lakes in recent years and recent research suggests that Cladophora may harbor very high levels of E.coli within stranded mats close to bathing beaches. While E.coli should indicate a recent fecal discharge, there is evidence that E.coli may preferentially survive and replicate in these Cladophora mats.
"Elevated E.coli levels in and around Cladophora mats may indicate a significant risk to public health when these mats are in proximity to swimming beaches," says Greg Kleinheinz, an Associate Professor of Microbiology at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. "We need to better understand the survival relationship between E.coli and the associated fecal pathogens in these Cladophora mat environments. This understanding is critical to better understanding of the public health risks related to the elevated E.coli found in Cladophora mats."
As E.coli and other fecal organisms are placed in the mat material, our laboratory research suggests that the E.coli may preferentially survive in these environments relative to other pathogens such as Salmonella and Shigella. If this holds true in the environment at-large, it may suggest that E.coli concentrations may be artificially high relative to the associated pathogens that were discharged in the same fecal discharge event. This would suggest that E.coli associated with Cladophora mats may not accurately indicate the same risk to public health as E.coli found in fecal material itself. This further calls into question the use of E.coli as an accurate measure of public health protection when we monitor public swimming beaches.
Original Publication Information
Results of this study, "Impact of the Alga Cladophora on the Survival of E. coli, Salmonella, and Shigella in Laboratory Microcosm," are reported by Erik T. Englebert, Colleen McDermott and Gregory T. Kleinheinz in the latest issue (Volume 34, No. 2, pp. 377-382) of the Journal of Great Lakes Research, published by the International Association for Great Lakes Research, 2008.
Contacts
For more information about the study, contact Greg Kleinheinz, Department of Biology and Microbiology, University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh, Oshkosh, WI 54901; , (920) 424-1100.
For information about the Journal of Great Lakes Research, contact Marlene Evans, Editor, National Water Research Institute, 11 Innovation Boulevard, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 3H5, Canada; editor@iaglr.org; (608) 692-1076.
Links
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