The effect of agrochemicals on indicator bacteria densities in outdoor mesocosms.

Water bodies, which are monitored for microbial water quality by quantification of faecal indicator organisms (IOs), can contain various zoonotic pathogens contributed by livestock waste and other sources. Sediments can serve as reservoirs of IOs and other enteric microorganisms, including pathogens. Agrochemicals may influence the survival of these microorganisms in water bodies impacted by livestock waste by enhancing or reducing their survival. Complex, 1100 l, freshwater mesocosms containing leaf litter, zooplankton, periphyton, phytoplankton, and invertebrate and vertebrate animals were used to investigate the response of Escherichia coli and enterococci to agrochemicals. Replicate tanks were treated with atrazine, malathion, chlorothalonil and inorganic fertilizer, either alone at 1× or 2× their expected environmental concentrations (EECs) or in pair-wise combinations at their EECs. IOs inoculated in sediment (∼10⁴ cfu per 100 ml) were enumerated over 28 days. IOs generally declined over time, but manova revealed that addition of fertilizer and atrazine resulted in significantly greater IO densities. Malathion, chlorothalonil and agrochemical concentration (1× vs 2×) did not significantly affect IO densities and no significant interactions between agrochemicals were noted. The augmentation of IO densities in sediments by fertilizer and atrazine may impact their reliability as accurate predictors of water quality and human health risk, and indicates the need for a better understanding of the fate of IOs and enteric pathogens in sediments exposed to agrochemicals.

[1]  V. Harwood,et al.  The effects of submerged aquatic vegetation on the persistence of environmental populations of Enterococcus spp. , 2010, Environmental microbiology.

[2]  E. Pinelli,et al.  Effects of pesticides on freshwater diatoms. , 2010, Reviews of environmental contamination and toxicology.

[3]  L. Fleming,et al.  Presence of Pathogens and Indicator Microbes at a Non-Point Source Subtropical Recreational Marine Beach , 2009, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

[4]  James O. Lloyd-Smith,et al.  Epidemic Dynamics at the Human-Animal Interface , 2009, Science.

[5]  V. Harwood,et al.  Application of microbial source tracking methods in a Gulf of Mexico field setting , 2009, Journal of applied microbiology.

[6]  J. Rohr,et al.  Community responses to contaminants: Using basic ecological principles to predict ecotoxicological effects , 2009, Environmental toxicology and chemistry.

[7]  Z. Piotrowska-Seget,et al.  Biodegradation of the organophosphorus insecticide diazinon by Serratia sp. and Pseudomonas sp. and their use in bioremediation of contaminated soil. , 2009, Chemosphere.

[8]  D. Pennock,et al.  Land use and riparian effects on prairie wetland sediment properties and herbicide sorption coefficients. , 2009, Journal of environmental quality.

[9]  Dawn A. T. Phillip,et al.  Impact of recreation on recreational water quality of a small tropical stream. , 2009, Journal of environmental monitoring : JEM.

[10]  A. V. Van Bruggen,et al.  Percolation and Survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium in Soil Amended with Contaminated Dairy Manure or Slurry , 2009, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

[11]  A. Boehm,et al.  Growth of Enterococci in Unaltered, Unseeded Beach Sands Subjected to Tidal Wetting , 2009, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

[12]  Antonio Finizio,et al.  Predicting pesticide environmental risk in intensive agricultural areas. II: Screening level risk assessment of complex mixtures in surface waters. , 2009, Environmental science & technology.

[13]  M. Vighi,et al.  Predicting pesticide environmental risk in intensive agricultural areas. I: Screening level risk assessment of individual chemicals in surface waters. , 2009, Environmental science & technology.

[14]  P. Hudson,et al.  Parasites, info-disruption, and the ecology of fear , 2009, Oecologia.

[15]  L. Backer,et al.  Linking the oceans to public health: current efforts and future directions , 2008, Environmental health : a global access science source.

[16]  Lynn B. Martin,et al.  Parasites as predators: unifying natural enemy ecology. , 2008, Trends in ecology & evolution.

[17]  A. Schotthoefer,et al.  Agrochemicals increase trematode infections in a declining amphibian species , 2008, Nature.

[18]  P. Hudson,et al.  Understanding the net effects of pesticides on amphibian trematode infections. , 2008, Ecological applications : a publication of the Ecological Society of America.

[19]  M. Cuvelier,et al.  Survival potential of Escherichia coli and Enterococci in subtropical beach sand: implications for water quality managers. , 2008, Journal of environmental quality.

[20]  Alfred P. Dufour,et al.  High Sensitivity of Children to Swimming-Associated Gastrointestinal Illness: Results Using a Rapid Assay of Recreational Water Quality , 2008, Epidemiology.

[21]  J. Meriles,et al.  Microbial community structure in a silty clay loam soil after fumigation with three broad spectrum fungicides , 2008, Journal of environmental science and health. Part. B, Pesticides, food contaminants, and agricultural wastes.

[22]  H. Fang,et al.  Degradation of chlorpyrifos alone and in combination with chlorothalonil and their effects on soil microbial populations. , 2008, Journal of environmental sciences.

[23]  Y. Alamanos,et al.  Inductive effects of environmental concentration of atrazine onEscherichia coli andEnterococcus faecalis , 2008, Folia Microbiologica.

[24]  T. Graczyk,et al.  Bather density and levels of Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and pathogenic microsporidian spores in recreational bathing water , 2007, Parasitology Research.

[25]  A. Abo-amer Involvement of chromosomally-encoded genes in malathion utilization by Pseudomonas aeruginosa AA112. , 2007, Acta microbiologica et immunologica Hungarica.

[26]  A. Boehm,et al.  Beach sands along the California coast are diffuse sources of fecal bacteria to coastal waters. , 2007, Environmental science & technology.

[27]  T. Shields,et al.  Quantitative Evaluation of the Impact of Bather Density on Levels of Human-Virulent Microsporidian Spores in Recreational Water , 2007, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

[28]  S. Ishii,et al.  Beach sand and sediments are temporal sinks and sources of Escherichia coli in Lake Superior. , 2007, Environmental science & technology.

[29]  John F. Griffith,et al.  Water Quality Indicators and the Risk of Illness at Beaches With Nonpoint Sources of Fecal Contamination , 2007, Epidemiology.

[30]  H. Fang,et al.  Responses of soil microorganisms and enzymes to repeated applications of chlorothalonil. , 2006, Journal of agricultural and food chemistry.

[31]  A. Sih,et al.  Community ecology as a framework for predicting contaminant effects. , 2006, Trends in ecology & evolution.

[32]  Reynée W. Sampson,et al.  Effects of temperature and sand on E. coil survival in a northern lake water microcosm. , 2006, Journal of water and health.

[33]  G. Craun,et al.  Observational epidemiologic studies of endemic waterborne risks: cohort, case-control, time-series, and ecologic studies. , 2006, Journal of water and health.

[34]  J. Rohr,et al.  Exposure, Postexposure, and Density-Mediated Effects of Atrazine on Amphibians: Breaking Down Net Effects into Their Parts , 2005, Environmental health perspectives.

[35]  Alfred P. Dufour,et al.  Rapidly Measured Indicators of Recreational Water Quality Are Predictive of Swimming-Associated Gastrointestinal Illness , 2005, Environmental health perspectives.

[36]  B. Singh,et al.  Microbial degradation of organophosphorus xenobiotics: metabolic pathways and molecular basis. , 2006, Advances in microbial physiology.

[37]  P. Crumrine,et al.  EFFECTS OF AN HERBICIDE AND AN INSECTICIDE ON POND COMMUNITY STRUCTURE AND PROCESSES , 2005 .

[38]  V. Harwood,et al.  Persistence and Differential Survival of Fecal Indicator Bacteria in Subtropical Waters and Sediments , 2005, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

[39]  J. Rohr,et al.  Aquatic herbicide exposure increases salamander desiccation risk eight months later in a terrestrial environment , 2005, Environmental toxicology and chemistry.

[40]  P. Crowley,et al.  MULTIPLE STRESSORS AND SALAMANDERS: EFFECTS OF AN HERBICIDE, FOOD LIMITATION, AND HYDROPERIOD , 2004 .

[41]  G. Jin,et al.  Comparison of E.Coli, Enterococci, and Fecal Coliform as Indicators for Brackish Water Quality Assessment , 2004, Water environment research : a research publication of the Water Environment Federation.

[42]  H. Fallowfield,et al.  Use of microcosms to determine persistence of Escherichia coli in recreational coastal water and sediment and validation with in situ measurements , 2004, Journal of applied microbiology.

[43]  P. Crowley,et al.  Lethal and sublethal effects of atrazine, carbaryl, endosulfan, and octylphenol on the streamside salamander (Ambystoma barbouri) , 2003, Environmental toxicology and chemistry.

[44]  Jonathan M. Chase,et al.  Strong and weak trophic cascades along a productivity gradient , 2003 .

[45]  J. Fuhrmann,et al.  Microbial community responses to atrazine exposure and nutrient availability: Linking degradation capacity to community structure , 2003, Microbial Ecology.

[46]  B. Singh,et al.  Degradation of chlorpyrifos, fenamiphos, and chlorothalonil alone and in combination and their effects on soil microbial activity , 2002, Environmental toxicology and chemistry.

[47]  S. Ingham,et al.  Survival of faecal indicator bacteria in bovine manure incorporated into soil , 2001, Letters in applied microbiology.

[48]  G Nichols,et al.  Microbiological standards for water and their relationship to health risk. , 2000, Communicable disease and public health.

[49]  V. Harwood,et al.  Isolation of Fecal Coliform Bacteria from the Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin centrata) , 1999, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

[50]  I. Kudva,et al.  Analysis of Escherichia coli O157:H7 Survival in Ovine or Bovine Manure and Manure Slurry , 1998, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

[51]  R. Barreiro,et al.  PREDICTING THE ECOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF HERBICIDES , 1997 .

[52]  K. Ro,et al.  Fate and enhancement of atrazine biotransformation in anaerobic wetland sediment , 1996 .

[53]  N J Ashbolt,et al.  Survival of fecal microorganisms in marine and freshwater sediments , 1995, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[54]  C. Yanze-Kontchou,et al.  Mineralization of the herbicide atrazine as a carbon source by a Pseudomonas strain , 1994, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[55]  A. E. Greenberg,et al.  Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater : supplement to the sixteenth edition , 1988 .

[56]  K. Solomon,et al.  Impact of Atrazine on Periphyton in Freshwater Enclosures and Some Ecological Consequences , 1986 .

[57]  M. Levin,et al.  Relationship of microbial indicators to health effects at marine bathing beaches. , 1979, American journal of public health.