Transfer of Escherichia coli to water from drained and undrained grassland after grazing.

The aim of this study was to determine the load of Escherichia coli transferred via drainage waters from drained and undrained pasture following a grazing period. Higher concentrations (ranging between 10(4) and 10(3) colony forming units [CFU] g(-1)) of E. coli persisted in soil for up to 60 d beyond the point where cattle were removed from the plots, but these eventually declined in the early months of spring to concentrations less than 10(2) CFU g(-1). The decline reflects the combined effect of cell depletion from the soil store through both wash-out and die-off of E. coli. No difference (P > 0.05) was observed in E. coli loads exported from drained and undrained plots. Similarly, no difference (P > 0.05) was observed in E. coli concentrations in drainage waters of mole drain flow and overland plus subsurface interflow. Intermittent periods of elevated discharge associated with storm events mobilized E. coli at higher concentrations (e.g., in excess of 400 CFU mL(-1)) than observed during low flow conditions (often <25 CFU mL(-1)). The combination of high discharge and cell concentrations resulted in the export of E. coli loads from drained and undrained plots exceeding 10(6) CFU L(-1) s(-1). The results highlight the potential for drained land to export E. coli loads comparable with those transferred from undrained pasture.

[1]  I. Svoboda,et al.  Fate of Escherichia coli and Escherichia coli O157 in soils and drainage water following cattle slurry application at 3 sites in southern Scotland , 2002 .

[2]  Jamal Abu-Ashour,et al.  Transport of microorganisms through soil , 1994 .

[3]  E. A. Garwood,et al.  Hydrological consequences of artificial drainage of grassland , 1991 .

[4]  E. A. Garwood,et al.  Nitrate leaching from grazed grassland lysimeters: effects of fertilizer input, field drainage, age of sward and patterns of weather , 1993 .

[5]  M. Aitken,et al.  Impact of agricultural practices and river catchment characteristics on river and bathing water quality. , 2003, Water science and technology : a journal of the International Association on Water Pollution Research.

[6]  Philip M. Haygarth,et al.  Forms of phosphorus transfer in hydrological pathways from soil under grazed grassland , 1998 .

[7]  A. J. Talman,et al.  A device for recording fluctuating water levels , 1983 .

[8]  P. Y. Jui,et al.  Bacterial Quality of Runoff from Manured and Non-Manured Cropland , 1985 .

[9]  D Kay,et al.  Generation of fecal and total coliform surges by stream flow manipulation in the absence of normal hydrometeorological stimuli , 1982, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[10]  N. Strachan,et al.  Quantitative risk assessment of human infection from Escherichia coli O157 associated with recreational use of animal pasture. , 2002, International journal of food microbiology.

[11]  C. Hunter,et al.  Agricultural land-use effects on the indicator bacterial quality of an upland stream in the Derbyshire peak district in the U.K. , 1999 .

[12]  Louise Heathwaite,et al.  Evaluating colloidal phosphorus delivery to surface waters from diffuse agricultural sources. , 2005, Journal of environmental quality.

[13]  M. F. Walter,et al.  WATER QUALITY IMPACTS OF TILE DRAINS IN SHALLOW, SLOPING, STRUCTURED SOILS AS AFFECTED BY MANURE APPLICATION , 1998 .

[14]  G. W. Thomas,et al.  Transport of Escherichia coli through intact and disturbed soil columns , 1985 .

[15]  J. Botsford,et al.  Microbial contamination and chemical toxicity of the Rio Grande , 2004, BMC Microbiology.

[16]  Jamal Abu-Ashour,et al.  MOVEMENT OF BACTERIA IN UNSATURATED SOIL COLUMNS WITH MACROPORES , 1998 .

[17]  F. R. Hore,et al.  Bacterial quality of tile drainage water from manured and fertilized cropland , 1984 .

[18]  H. Ogata,et al.  Restricted changes in major surface protein-2 (msp2) transcription after prolonged in vitro passage of Anaplasma phagocytophilum , 2004, BMC Microbiology.

[19]  J. Karns,et al.  Leaching of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Diverse Soils under Various Agricultural Management Practices , 2000, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

[20]  I. Svoboda,et al.  The fate of Escherichia coli and E. coli O157 in cattle slurry after application to land , 2000, Symposium series.

[21]  N. Ashbolt,et al.  Automated event sampling for microbiological and related analytes in remote sites: a comprehensive system , 2002 .

[22]  S F Tyrrel,et al.  Overland flow transport of pathogens from agricultural land receiving faecal wastes , 2003, Journal of applied microbiology.

[23]  M. Corapcioglu,et al.  Contaminant transport in dual-porosity media with dissolved organic matter and bacteria present as mobile colloids. , 2002, Journal of contaminant hydrology.

[24]  Jamal Abu-Ashour,et al.  Transport of bacteria on sloping soil surfaces by runoff , 2000 .

[25]  K. Beven,et al.  INPUT OF FECAL COLIFORM BACTERIA TO AN UPLAND STREAM CHANNEL IN THE YORKSHIRE DALES , 1992 .

[26]  M. Evans,et al.  Factors affecting the concentration of faecal bacteria in land-drainage water. , 1972, Journal of general microbiology.

[27]  R. Davies‐Colley,et al.  Faecal contamination over flood events in a pastoral agricultural stream in New Zealand. , 2002, Water science and technology : a journal of the International Association on Water Pollution Research.

[28]  James J. Smith,et al.  Leaching of bacterial indicators of faecal contamination through four New Zealand soils , 2001 .

[29]  David M. Oliver,et al.  Assessing the Potential for Pathogen Transfer from Grassland Soils to Surface Waters , 2002 .

[30]  A. Derocher,et al.  Analysis of faecal samples from wild animals for verocytotoxin producing Escherichia coli and E coli 0157 , 1999, Veterinary Record.

[31]  C. Soulsby,et al.  Spatial and temporal bacterial quality of a lowland agricultural stream in northeast Scotland. , 2003, The Science of the total environment.