Response of Escherichia coli O157:H7 survival to pH of cultivated soils

Abstract

The Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7 survival dynamics in original and pH-modified agricultural soils were investigated to determinate how E. coli O157:H7 survival responded to the pH values of different soils, identify the relationships between E. coli O157:H7 survival time (t d ) and soil properties, and assess the potential pathogen contamination after soil pH changed. The six soil samples were collected from different provinces of China, and 18 pH-modified soil samples were obtained from original soils by treating the original soils with direct electric current. The E. coli O157:H7 cells were inoculated into 24 soils and incubated at soil moisture of −33 kPa and 25 °C. The soils were sampled for determining the numbers of E. coli O157:H7 at given time intervals over the incubation. The effects of soil pH change and other properties on the t d values were analyzed. The t d values in the test soils were between 7.1—24.7 days. Results indicate that soil pH, texture, and free Fe2O3 (Fed) were the most important factors impacting the t d values in the test soils. Further, the response of E. coli O157:H7 survival to pH change varied with different soils. In the acidic soils (shorter t d values), the t d values decreased as the pH decreased and Fed increased, while in the neutral or alkaline soils (pH ≥ 6.45, longer t d values), the t d values did not change significantly with pH. The changes of amorphous and free sesquioxides induced by pH change might strengthen the response of E. coli O157:H7 survival to soil pH. Closer attention should be paid to E. coli O157:H7 long survival in soils and its potential environmental contamination risk.