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Characterization of a Pathogenic Escherichia coli Strain Derived from Oreochromis spp. Farms Using Whole-Genome Sequencing
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Enterococci concentrations in diverse coastal environments exhibit extreme variability.

Alexandria B Boehm1

  • 1Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Environmental and Water Studies, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-4020, USA. aboehm@stanford.edu

Environmental Science & Technology
|January 19, 2008
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Summary

Coastal water quality monitoring using fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) is unreliable due to rapid changes. Even with quick tests, enterococci levels fluctuate significantly, showing water quality is patchy and requires multiple samples for accurate risk assessment.

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Area of Science:

  • Environmental microbiology
  • Water quality monitoring
  • Coastal ecology

Background:

  • Fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) are used to assess coastal water safety for swimming.
  • Current monitoring relies on single samples, leading to notification errors due to rapid FIB fluctuations.
  • Rapid detection methods aim to reduce delays but may not account for short-term variability.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the short-term variability of enterococci (ENT) in diverse marine environments.
  • To determine if rapid detection technologies can overcome inherent temporal variability in FIB.
  • To inform policy and study design regarding microbial water quality assessment.

Main Methods:

  • Collected enterococci (ENT) data at 1- and 10-minute intervals over 1- and 24-hour periods.
  • Analyzed data from turbulent surf zones and quiescent bays.
  • Utilized spectral analysis to examine time-series properties of ENT concentrations.

Main Results:

  • Enterococci (ENT) exhibited significant variability over short time scales (<1 day) in all environments.
  • Changes exceeding single-sample standards occurred frequently between consecutive samples (1-10 min apart).
  • ENT time series displayed fractal characteristics (1/f noise), lacking a predictable time scale for management.

Conclusions:

  • Single water samples provide limited insight into true beach microbial water quality and associated health risks.
  • Rapid FIB detection does not resolve the issue of inherent, rapid bacterial variability.
  • Multiple samples are essential to capture the patchy nature of microbial water quality and human health risks.