This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Hagedorn, C.
Right arrow Articles by Reneau, R. B.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Hagedorn, C.
Right arrow Articles by Reneau, R. B., Jr.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Hagedorn, C.
Right arrow Articles by Reneau, R. B.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, December 1999, p. 5522-5531, Vol. 65, No. 12
0099-2240/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Determining Sources of Fecal Pollution in a Rural Virginia Watershed with Antibiotic Resistance Patterns in Fecal Streptococci

Charles Hagedorn,* Sandra L. Robinson, Jennifer R. Filtz, Sarah M. Grubbs, Theresa A. Angier, and Raymond B. Reneau Jr.

Department of Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061

Received 4 June 1999/Accepted 12 September 1999

Nonpoint sources of pollution that contribute fecal bacteria to surface waters have proven difficult to identify. Knowledge of pollution sources could aid in restoration of the water quality, reduce the amounts of nutrients leaving watersheds, and reduce the danger of infectious disease resulting from exposure to contaminated waters. Patterns of antibiotic resistance in fecal streptococci were analyzed by discriminant and cluster analysis and used to identify sources of fecal pollution in a rural Virginia watershed. A database consisting of patterns from 7,058 fecal streptococcus isolates was first established from known human, livestock, and wildlife sources in Montgomery County, Va. Correct fecal streptococcus source identification averaged 87% for the entire database and ranged from 84% for deer isolates to 93% for human isolates. To field test the method and the database, a watershed improvement project (Page Brook) in Clarke County, Va., was initiated in 1996. Comparison of 892 known-source isolates from that watershed against the database resulted in an average correct classification rate of 88%. Combining all animal isolates increased correct classification rates to >= 95% for separations between animal and human sources. Stream samples from three collection sites were highly contaminated, and fecal streptococci from these sites were classified as being predominantly from cattle (>78% of isolates), with small proportions from waterfowl, deer, and unidentified sources (approx 7% each). Based on these results, cattle access to the stream was restricted by installation of fencing and in-pasture watering stations. Fecal coliforms were reduced at the three sites by an average of 94%, from prefencing average populations of 15,900 per 100 ml to postfencing average populations of 960 per 100 ml. After fencing, <45% of fecal streptococcus isolates were classified as being from cattle. These results demonstrate that antibiotic resistance profiles in fecal streptococci can be used to reliably determine sources of fecal pollution, and water quality improvements can occur when efforts to address the identified sources are made.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences, VPI & SU, Smyth Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0404. Phone: (540) 231-4895. Fax: (540) 231-3431. E-mail: chagedor{at}vt.edu.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, December 1999, p. 5522-5531, Vol. 65, No. 12
0099-2240/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Dickerson, J. W. Jr., Crozier, J. B., Hagedorn, C., Hassall, A. (2007). Assessment of the 16S-23S rDNA Intergenic Spacer Region in Enterococcus spp. for Microbial Source Tracking. J. Environ. Qual. 36: 1661-1669 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Koike, S., Krapac, I. G., Oliver, H. D., Yannarell, A. C., Chee-Sanford, J. C., Aminov, R. I., Mackie, R. I. (2007). Monitoring and Source Tracking of Tetracycline Resistance Genes in Lagoons and Groundwater Adjacent to Swine Production Facilities over a 3-Year Period. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 4813-4823 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Ruecker, N. J., Braithwaite, S. L., Topp, E., Edge, T., Lapen, D. R., Wilkes, G., Robertson, W., Medeiros, D., Sensen, C. W., Neumann, N. F. (2007). Tracking Host Sources of Cryptosporidium spp. in Raw Water for Improved Health Risk Assessment. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 3945-3957 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kaneene, J. B., Miller, R., Sayah, R., Johnson, Y. J., Gilliland, D., Gardiner, J. C. (2007). Considerations When Using Discriminant Function Analysis of Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles To Identify Sources of Fecal Contamination of Surface Water in Michigan. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 2878-2890 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Stoeckel, D. M., Harwood, V. J. (2007). Performance, Design, and Analysis in Microbial Source Tracking Studies. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 2405-2415 [Full Text]  
  • Anderson, M. A., Whitlock, J. E., Harwood, V. J. (2006). Diversity and Distribution of Escherichia coli Genotypes and Antibiotic Resistance Phenotypes in Feces of Humans, Cattle, and Horses. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 6914-6922 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Price, B., Venso, E. A., Frana, M. F., Greenberg, J., Ware, A., Currey, L. (2006). Classification tree method for bacterial source tracking with antibiotic resistance analysis data.. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 3468-3475 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Soule, M., Kuhn, E., Loge, F., Gay, J., Call, D. R. (2006). Using DNA microarrays to identify library-independent markers for bacterial source tracking.. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 1843-1851 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Fogarty, L. R., Voytek, M. A. (2005). Comparison of Bacteroides-Prevotella 16S rRNA Genetic Markers for Fecal Samples from Different Animal Species. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 5999-6007 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Ahmed, W., Neller, R., Katouli, M. (2005). Host Species-Specific Metabolic Fingerprint Database for Enterococci and Escherichia coli and Its Application To Identify Sources of Fecal Contamination in Surface Waters. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 4461-4468 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Anderson, K. L., Whitlock, J. E., Harwood, V. J. (2005). Persistence and Differential Survival of Fecal Indicator Bacteria in Subtropical Waters and Sediments. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 3041-3048 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Fong, T.-T., Lipp, E. K. (2005). Enteric Viruses of Humans and Animals in Aquatic Environments: Health Risks, Detection, and Potential Water Quality Assessment Tools. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 69: 357-371 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Sayah, R. S., Kaneene, J. B., Johnson, Y., Miller, R. (2005). Patterns of Antimicrobial Resistance Observed in Escherichia coli Isolates Obtained from Domestic- and Wild-Animal Fecal Samples, Human Septage, and Surface Water. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 1394-1404 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Johnson, L. K., Brown, M. B., Carruthers, E. A., Ferguson, J. A., Dombek, P. E., Sadowsky, M. J. (2004). Sample Size, Library Composition, and Genotypic Diversity among Natural Populations of Escherichia coli from Different Animals Influence Accuracy of Determining Sources of Fecal Pollution. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 70: 4478-4485 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Seurinck, S., Verstraete, W., Siciliano, S. D. (2003). Use of 16S-23S rRNA Intergenic Spacer Region PCR and Repetitive Extragenic Palindromic PCR Analyses of Escherichia coli Isolates To Identify Nonpoint Fecal Sources. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69: 4942-4950 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Wiggins, B. A., Cash, P. W., Creamer, W. S., Dart, S. E., Garcia, P. P., Gerecke, T. M., Han, J., Henry, B. L., Hoover, K. B., Johnson, E. L., Jones, K. C., McCarthy, J. G., McDonough, J. A., Mercer, S. A., Noto, M. J., Park, H., Phillips, M. S., Purner, S. M., Smith, B. M., Stevens, E. N., Varner, A. K. (2003). Use of Antibiotic Resistance Analysis for Representativeness Testing of Multiwatershed Libraries. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69: 3399-3405 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • McLellan, S. L., Daniels, A. D., Salmore, A. K. (2003). Genetic Characterization of Escherichia coli Populations from Host Sources of Fecal Pollution by Using DNA Fingerprinting. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69: 2587-2594 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Scott, T. M., Rose, J. B., Jenkins, T. M., Farrah, S. R., Lukasik, J. (2002). Microbial Source Tracking: Current Methodology and Future Directions. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68: 5796-5803 [Full Text]  
  • Hartel, P. G., Summer, J. D., Hill, J. L., Collins, J. V., Entry, J. A., Segars, W. I. (2002). Geographic Variability of Escherichia coli Ribotypes from Animals in Idaho and Georgia. J. Environ. Qual. 31: 1273-1278 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Wheeler, A. L., Hartel, P. G., Godfrey, D. G., Hill, J. L., Segars, W. I. (2002). Potential of Enterococcus faecalis as a Human Fecal Indicator for Microbial Source Tracking. J. Environ. Qual. 31: 1286-1293 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Graves, A. K., Hagedorn, C., Teetor, A., Mahal, M., Booth, A. M., Reneau, R. B. Jr. (2002). Antibiotic Resistance Profiles to Determine Sources of Fecal Contamination in a Rural Virginia Watershed. J. Environ. Qual. 31: 1300-1308 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Guan, S., Xu, R., Chen, S., Odumeru, J., Gyles, C. (2002). Development of a Procedure for Discriminating among Escherichia coli Isolates from Animal and Human Sources. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68: 2690-2698 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Chee-Sanford, J. C., Aminov, R. I., Krapac, I. J., Garrigues-Jeanjean, N., Mackie, R. I. (2001). Occurrence and Diversity of Tetracycline Resistance Genes in Lagoons and Groundwater Underlying Two Swine Production Facilities. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 67: 1494-1502 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Carson, C. A., Shear, B. L., Ellersieck, M. R., Asfaw, A. (2001). Identification of Fecal Escherichia coli from Humans and Animals by Ribotyping. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 67: 1503-1507 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Bernhard, A. E., Field, K. G. (2000). A PCR Assay To Discriminate Human and Ruminant Feces on the Basis of Host Differences in Bacteroides-Prevotella Genes Encoding 16S rRNA. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 66: 4571-4574 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Harwood, V. J., Whitlock, J., Withington, V. (2000). Classification of Antibiotic Resistance Patterns of Indicator Bacteria by Discriminant Analysis: Use in Predicting the Source of Fecal Contamination in Subtropical Waters. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 66: 3698-3704 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Dombek, P. E., Johnson, L. K., Zimmerley, S. T., Sadowsky, M. J. (2000). Use of Repetitive DNA Sequences and the PCR To Differentiate Escherichia coli Isolates from Human and Animal Sources. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 66: 2572-2577 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»