28 research outputs found
Development and application of a quantitative PCR assay targeting Catellicoccus marimammalium for assessing gull-associated fecal contamination at Lake Erie beaches
No full textGulls represent one of the major fecal contamination sources responsible for the degradation of water quality at Lake Erie beaches. For assessing gull-associated fecal contamination, a real-time quantitative PCR assay (qPCR) targeting 16S rRNA gene sequences from Catellicoccus marimammalium, which are abundant in gull feces, was developed and evaluated by comparing assay results with beach survey data that included gull counting, and quantifying densities of Escherichia coli and human-associated fecal markers at two Lake Erie beaches. In evaluating the specificity and sensitivity of the qPCR assay with animal and wastewater samples, C. marimammalium was detected in most gull fecal samples (80.7%), some chicken fecal samples (24.1%), but was not readily detected from other fecal samples of animals and humans, and wastewater. Among 66 Lake Erie water samples collected in 2010, C. marimammalium was frequently detected from Villa Angela (36.4%) and Headlands beaches (57.6%). C. marimammalium densities were not associated with E. coli densities or sanitary survey data. E. coli counts were likely driven by other sources, such as human, rather than gulls at the study sites. The presumption that human contamination influenced E. coli counts was supported by more frequent detection of the human-specific Bacteroides gyrB marker (gyrB) at Villa Angela (33.3%) than Headlands (6.1%). Since E. coli may not be an effective indicator for assessing gull-related fecal contamination at these beaches, where contamination sources are mixed, our novel qPCR assay can be useful for understanding fecal source contributions from gulls not explained by gull abundance or E. coli densities
The impact of extreme weather events on Salmonella internalization in lettuce and green onion
No full textOral Microbiota: Microbial Biomarkers of Metabolic Syndrome Independent of Host Genetic Factors
No full textStrategies to develop maintenance engineers for multiple dwellings in Korea—Focusing on the US and Japanese qualification systems
No full textAbstractKorea has focused on growth-oriented policies by creating new housing units rather than maintaining or rehabilitating existing ones although having a housing stock as huge as those of other advanced nations. There have been, thus, few efforts to develop professional human resources who maintain and preserve the existing housing. Now, it has been a considerable time since two million housing units were built in the new towns around Seoul such as Bundang and Ilsan. It is expected that maintenance engineers for multiple dwellings will be of much importance in Korea.The purpose of this study is to present ways to develop maintenance engineers for multiple dwellings in Korea by analyzing the US and Japanese qualification systems for maintenance engineers for multi-family dwellings
Oral Microbiota: Microbial Biomarkers of Metabolic Syndrome Independent of Host Genetic Factors
No full textThe oral microbiota plays a critical role in both local and systemic inflammation. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is characterized by low-grade inflammation, and many studies have been conducted on the gut microbiota from stool specimens. However, the etiological role of the oral microbiota in the development of MetS is unclear. In this study, we analyzed the oral and gut microbiome from 228 subgingival plaque and fecal samples from a Korean twin-family cohort with and without MetS. Significant differences in microbial diversity and composition were observed in both anatomical niches. However, a host genetic effect on the oral microbiota was not observed. A co-occurrence network analysis showed distinct microbiota clusters that were dependent on the MetS status. A comprehensive analysis of the oral microbiome identified Granulicatella and Neisseria as bacteria enriched in subjects with MetS and Peptococcus as bacteria abundant in healthy controls. Validation of the identified oral bacteria by quantitative PCR (qPCR) showed that healthy controls possessed significantly lower levels of G. adiacens (p = 0.023) and a higher ratio of Peptococcus to Granulicatella (p < 0.05) than MetS subjects. Our results support that local oral microbiota can be associated with systemic disorders. The microbial biomarkers identified in this study would aid in determination of which individuals develop chronic diseases from their MetS and contribute to strategic disease management
Associations Among Human-Associated Fecal Contamination, Microcystis aeruginosa, and Microcystin at Lake Erie Beaches
No full textLake Erie beaches exhibit impaired water quality due to fecal contamination and cyanobacterial blooms, though few studies address potential relationships between these two public health hazards. Using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), Microcystis aeruginosa was monitored in conjunction with a human-associated fecal marker (Bacteroides fragilis group; g-Bfra), microcystin, and water quality parameters at two beaches to evaluate their potential associations. During the summer of 2010, water samples were collected 32 times from both Euclid and Villa Angela beaches. The phycocyanin intergenic spacer (PC-IGS) and the microcystin-producing (mcyA) gene in M. aeruginosa were quantified with qPCR. PC-IGS and mcyA were detected in 50.0% and 39.1% of samples, respectively, and showed increased occurrences after mid-August. Correlation and regression analyses showed that water temperature was negatively correlated with M. aeruginosa markers and microcystin. The densities of mcyA and the g-Bfra were predicted by nitrate, implicating fecal contamination as contributing to the growth of M. aeruginosa by nitrate loading. Microcystin was correlated with mcyA (r = 0.413, p \u3c 0.01), suggesting toxin-producing M. aeruginosa populations may significantly contribute to microcystin production. Additionally, microcystin was correlated with total phosphorus (r = 0.628, p \u3c 0.001), which was higher at Euclid (p \u3c 0.05), possibly contributing to higher microcystin concentrations at Euclid
Arcobacter in Lake Erie beach waters: An emerging gastrointestinal pathogen linked with human-associated fecal contamination
No full textThe genus Arcobacter has been associated with human illness and fecal contamination by humans and animals. To better characterize the health risk posed by this emerging waterborne pathogen, we investigated the occurrence of Arcobacter spp. in Lake Erie beach waters. During the summer of 2010, water samples were collected 35 times from the Euclid, Villa Angela, and Headlands (East and West) beaches, located along Ohio\u27s Lake Erie coast. After sample concentration, Arcobacter was quantified by real-time PCR targeting the Arcobacter 23S rRNA gene. Other fecal genetic markers (Bacteroides 16S rRNA gene [HuBac], Escherichia coli uidA gene, Enterococcus 23S rRNA gene, and tetracycline resistance genes) were also assessed. Arcobacter was detected frequently at all beaches, and both the occurrence and densities of Arcobacter spp. were higher at the Euclid and Villa Angela beaches (with higher levels of fecal contamination) than at the East and West Headlands beaches. The Arcobacter density in Lake Erie beach water was significantly correlated with the human-specific fecal marker HuBac according to Spearman\u27s correlation analysis (r = 0.592; P \u3c 0.001). Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that most of the identified Arcobacter sequences were closely related to Arcobacter cryaerophilus, which is known to cause gastrointestinal diseases in humans. Since human-pathogenic Arcobacter spp. are linked to human-associated fecal sources, it is important to identify and manage the human-associated contamination sources for the prevention of Arcobacter-associated public health risks at Lake Erie beaches
Evaluation of Various Real-Time Reverse Transcription Quantitative PCR Assays for Norovirus Detection
No full textOccurrence of Human Enteric Viruses at Freshwater Beaches During Swimming Season and its Link to Water Inflow
No full textHuman enteric viruses are significant etiological agents for many recreational waterborne illnesses. The occurrence and density of human enteric viruses such as human adenovirus (HAdV), human enterovirus (HEnV), and human norovirus genogroups I/II (HNoV GI/GII) were investigated using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) at freshwater beaches along with monitoring fecal indicators and environmental parameters. During the 2009 swimming season, water samples were collected from three inland freshwater beaches in Ohio, USA. Of the total samples, 40% (26/65) and 17% (11/65) were positive for HAdV and HEnV respectively, but HNoV GI/GII were not detected. There was no significant association among the detected human enteric viruses (HAdV and HEnV) and fecal bacteria indicators (Escherichia coli and Bacteroides) by Spearman correlation and principal component analyses. Logistic regression analysis also revealed that the odds of finding HAdV or HEnV was not influenced by levels of fecal bacteria indicators. However, there was a 14-fold increase in the odds of HEnV detection for each 1-log increase in daily water inflow (m3/s) into freshwater beach reservoirs (adjusted odds ratio = 14.2; 95% confidence interval = 1.19–171). In summary, the viral occurrence at the freshwater beaches was not readily explained by the levels of fecal bacteria indicators, but appeared to be more related to water reservoir inflows. These results suggest that hydrological data must be considered in future epidemiology efforts aimed at characterizing beach water safety
The Microbiota of Recreational Freshwaters and the Implications for Environmental and Public Health
No full textThe microbial communities in recreational freshwaters play important roles in both environmental and public health perspectives. In this study, the bacterial community structure and its associations with freshwater environments were investigated by analyzing the summertime microbiomes of three beach waters in Ohio (East Fork, Delaware, and Madison lakes) together with environmental and microbial water quality parameters. From the swimming season of 2009, 21 water samples were collected from the three freshwater beaches. From the samples, 110,000 quality-checked bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences were obtained and analyzed, resulting in an observation of 4,500 bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs). The most abundant bacteria were Mycobacterium and Arthrobacter of the Actinobacteria (33.2%), Exiguobacterium and Paenisporosarcina of the Firmicutes (23.4%), Planktothrix and Synechococcus of the Cyanobacteria (20.8%), and Methylocystis and Polynucleobacter of the Proteobacteria (16.3%). Considerable spatial and temporal variations were observed in the bacterial community of Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria, and Firmicutes, where the bacterial community structure was greatly influenced by hydrological and weather conditions. The most influential factors were 1) water inflow for Bacteroidia and Clostridia, 2) turbidity for Gammaproteobacteria, 3) precipitation for Bacilli, and 4) temperature and pH for Cyanobacteria. One noticeable microbial interaction in the bacterial community was a significant negative relationship between Cyanobacteria and Bacilli (P < 0.05). Concerning beach water quality, the level of the genetic markers for cyanobacterial toxin (mcyA) was linked to the abundance of Cyanobacteria. In addition, unique distributions of the genera Enterococcus, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Bacteroides, Clostridium, Finegoldia, Burkholderia, and Klebsiella, together with a high density of fecal indicator E. coli, were markedly observed in the sample from Madison Lake on July 13, suggesting a distinctly different source of bacterial loading into the lake, possibly fecal contamination. In conclusion, deep sequencing-based microbial community analysis can provide detailed profiles of bacterial communities and information on potential public health risks at freshwater beaches
