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Combining watershed attributes with culture- and PCR-based methods for improved characterization and management of fecal pollution
Citation:
PEED, L., C. T. NIETCH, C. A. KELTY, K. M. WHITE, J. C. BLANNON, M. C. MECKES, T. Mooney, M. SIVAGANESAN, R. A. HAUGLAND, AND O. C. SHANKS. Combining watershed attributes with culture- and PCR-based methods for improved characterization and management of fecal pollution. Presented at American Society for Microbiology 109th General Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, May 17 - 21, 2009.
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Description:
Culture- and PCR-based methods for characterization of fecal pollution were evaluated in relation to physiographic, biotic, and chemical indicators of stream condition. Stream water samples (n = 235) were collected monthly over a two year period from ten channels draining subwatersheds with different land use intensities ranging from mostly forested, thru rural agricultural, to high-density residential. The sampling effort was part of a multidisciplinary program designed to characterize and manage water quality in the 320,000 acre East Fork Watershed of Southwestern Ohio. Culture-based indicators including enterococci, Escherichia coli, and total coliforms were measured with IDEXX defined substrate technologies®. PCR-based methods included 14 PCR and quantitative real-time PCR assays that detect enterococci, E. coli, Bacteroidetes as well as human- and bovine-specific genetic markers. Culture-based measurements of enterococci and E. coli cell densities were above water quality standards most of the time with indicator concentrations ranging from 18 to 8.6x104 and 85 to 5.5x104 cells/100mL, respectively. Data analyses suggest that combining host-specific assays with general fecal indicator measurements and landscape variables provides a more complete understanding of microbial pollution, leading to more focused watershed management.
