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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, December 1999, p. 5615-5618, Vol. 65, No. 12
0099-2240/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Comparative Survival of Free Shiga Toxin 2-Encoding Phages and Escherichia coli Strains outside the Gut

Maite Muniesa, Francisco Lucena, and Juan Jofre*

Department de Microbiologia, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

Received 21 June 1999/Accepted 23 September 1999

The behavior outside the gut of seeded Escherichia coli O157:H7, naturally occurring E. coli, somatic coliphages, bacteriophages infecting O157:H7, and Shiga toxin 2 (Stx2)-encoding bacteriophages was studied to determine whether the last persist in the environment more successfully than their host bacteria. The ratios between the numbers of E. coli and those of the different bacteriophages were clearly lower in river water than in sewage of the area, whereas the ratios between the numbers of the different phages were similar. In addition, the numbers of bacteria decreased between 2 and 3 log units in in situ survival experiments performed in river water, whereas the numbers of phages decreased between 1 and 2 log units. Chlorination and pasteurization treatments that reduced by approximately 4 log units the numbers of bacteria reduced by less than 1 log unit the numbers of bacteriophages. Thus, it can be concluded that Stx2-encoding phages persist longer than their host bacteria in the water environment and are more resistant than their host bacteria to chlorination and heat treatment.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Departament de Microbiologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Avinguda Diagonal 645, 08028 Barcelona, Spain. Phone: 34 93 402 14 87. Fax: 34 93 411 05 92. E-mail: joan{at}porthos.bio.ub.es.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, December 1999, p. 5615-5618, Vol. 65, No. 12
0099-2240/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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