Growth and chemotaxis of nematodes reduced upon exposure to Third Fork Creek surface water

Carresse Gerald,Porché Spence,Hayden Patterson,Boris Deshazo

doi:10.1186/s12302-021-00579-8

Carresse Gerald, Porché Spence + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-021-00579-8

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Abstract

BackgroundThird Fork Creek is a historically impaired urban stream that flows through the city of Durham, North Carolina. Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) are non-parasitic, soil and aquatic dwelling nematodes that have been used frequently as a biological and ecotoxicity model. We hypothesize that exposure to Third Fork Creek surface water will inhibit the growth and chemotaxis of C. elegans. Using our ring assay model, nematodes were enticed to cross the water samples to reach a bacterial food source which allowed observation of chemotaxis. The total number of nematodes found in the bacterial food source and the middle of the plate with the water source was recorded for 3 days.ResultsOur findings suggest a reduction in chemotaxis and growth on day three in nematodes exposed to Third Fork Creek water samples when compared to the control (p value < 0.05). These exploratory data provide meaningful insight to the quality of Third Fork Creek located near a Historically Black University.ConclusionsFurther studies are necessary to elucidate the concentrations of the water contaminants and implications for human health. The relevance of this study lies within the model C. elegans that has been used in a plethora of human diseases and exposure research but can be utilized as an environmental indicator of water quality impairment.

Highlights

Third Fork Creek is a historically impaired urban stream that flows through the city of Durham, North Carolina
In the study conducted by Mutwakil et al, transgenic nematodes were exposed to five water samples collected from the River Carnon in England, which is known to have ancient mining history
Transgenic expression was observed in nematodes exposed to all five samples, with the least amount of expression found in nematodes exposed to water samples containing less contaminants

Summary

Introduction

Third Fork Creek is a historically impaired urban stream that flows through the city of Durham, North Carolina. Using our ring assay model, nematodes were enticed to cross the water samples to reach a bacterial food source which allowed observation of chemotaxis. C. elegans can be found naturally in soil and water and have been identified in leaf litter and gastropods [4, 18, 32] These nematodes have been utilized in several environmental toxicology studies to evaluate toxicity of soils [2, 15, 20, 21], sediments [19, 34, 35] and water [17, 27, 36]. In the study conducted by Hitchcock et al, nematodes were exposed to several composite water samples from five points from within the wastewater treatment plant system. In the study conducted by Mutwakil et al, transgenic nematodes were exposed to five water samples collected from the River Carnon in England, which is known to have ancient mining history. C. elegans are a prodigious model due to the ease of Gerald et al Environmental Sciences Europe (2022) 34:9 culture in laboratory settings, can be maintained at 25 °C, consume bacteria, and have a short well-studied lifespan [23]

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