Abstract
The relationships between Escherichia (E) coli concentration, suspended particulate matter (SPM) particle size class, and land use practices are important in reducing the bacterium’s persistence and health risks. However, surprisingly few studies have been performed that quantify these relationships. Conceivably, such information would advance mitigation strategies for practices that address specific SPM size classes and, by proxy, E. coli concentration. To advance this needed area of research, stream water was sampled from varying dominant land use practices in West Run Watershed, a representative mixed-land use Appalachian watershed of West Virginia in the eastern USA. Water samples were filtered into three SPM intervals (<5 µm; 5 µm to 60 μm; and >60 μm) and the E. coli concentration (colony forming units, CFU) and SPM of each interval was quantified. Statistically significant relationships were identified between E. coli concentrations and size intervals (α < 0.0001), and SPM (α = 0.05). The results show a predominance (90% of total) of E. coli CFUs in the <5 μm SPM interval. The results show that land use practices impact the relationships between SPM and E. coli concentrations. Future work should include additional combined factors that influence bacterial CFUs and SPM, including hydrology, climate, geochemistry and nutrients.
Highlights
There is a need to investigate factors that influence risks facilitated by pathogenic microbes in water sources [1]
The paucity of field-based research investigating the relationship between E. coli concentration and suspended particulate matter (SPM) size distribution and the importance of this relationship, for human health, policy makers, and water resource managers [23,79], provided the impetus for the current work
The need to characterize the relationship between SPM size distribution, E. coli and land use practices provided further motivation
Summary
There is a need to investigate factors that influence risks facilitated by pathogenic microbes in water sources [1]. The need for research is stimulated by the common and widespread occurrence of fecal pollution and pathogenic water contamination in many parts of the globe [2,3,4,5]. 2013 and 2014, pathogen-contaminated drinking water resulted in 1006 cases, 42 outbreaks of disease, 124 hospitalizations, and 13 deaths in the United States of America alone [7]. Advancing the understanding of variables that influence the persistence and risk of exposure to potentially harmful fecal microbes (e.g., E. coli, enterococci or fecal coliform), including the association of bacteria with suspended particulate matter (SPM), will better inform policy makers and contribute to decreased morbidity and mortality caused by pathogenic microbes.
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