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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, November 2003, p. 6507-6514, Vol. 69, No. 11
0099-2240/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.69.11.6507-6514.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Evaluation of F+ RNA and DNA Coliphages as Source-Specific Indicators of Fecal Contamination in Surface Waters

Dana Cole,1* Sharon C. Long,2 and Mark D. Sobsey1

Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, The University of North Carolina School of Public Health, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599,1 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 352052

Received 28 March 2003/ Accepted 8 August 2003

Male-specific (F+) coliphages have been investigated as viral indicators of fecal contamination that may provide source-specific information for impacted environmental waters. This study examined the presence and proportions of the different subgroups of F+ coliphages in a variety of fecal wastes and surface waters with well-defined potential waste impacts. Municipal wastewater samples had high proportions of F+ DNA and group II and III F+ RNA coliphages. Bovine wastewaters also contained a high proportion of F+ DNA coliphages, but group I and IV F+ RNA coliphages predominated. Swine wastewaters contained approximately equal proportions of F+ DNA and RNA coliphages, and group I and III F+ RNA coliphages were most common. Waterfowl (gull and goose) feces contained almost exclusively F+ RNA coliphages of groups I and IV. No F+ coliphages were isolated from the feces of the other species examined. F+ coliphage recovery from surface waters was influenced by precipitation events and animal or human land use. There were no significant differences in coliphage density among land use categories. Significant seasonal variation was observed in the proportions of F+ DNA and RNA coliphages. Group I F+ RNA coliphages were the vast majority (90%) of those recovered from surface waters. The percentage of group I F+ RNA coliphages detected was greatest at background sites, and the percentage of group II F+ RNA coliphages was highest at human-impacted sites. Monitoring of F+ coliphage groups can indicate the presence and major sources of microbial inputs to surface waters, but environmental effects on the relative occurrence of different groups need to be considered.

* Corresponding author. Present address: Department of Large Animal Medicine, The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, Athens, GA 30602. Phone: (706) 542-0177. Fax: (706) 542-8833. E-mail: dcole{at}vet.uga.edu.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, November 2003, p. 6507-6514, Vol. 69, No. 11
0099-2240/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.69.11.6507-6514.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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