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 Whitman, R. L.
Right arrow Articles by Byappanahalli, M. N.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Whitman, R. L.
Right arrow Articles by Byappanahalli, M. N.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Whitman, R. L.
Right arrow Articles by Byappanahalli, M. N.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, July 2004, p. 4276-4285, Vol. 70, No. 7
0099-2240/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.70.7.4276-4285.2004

Solar and Temporal Effects on Escherichia coli Concentration at a Lake Michigan Swimming Beach{dagger}

Richard L. Whitman,* Meredith B. Nevers, Ginger C. Korinek, and Muruleedhara N. Byappanahalli

Great Lakes Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Porter, Indiana 46304

Received 15 December 2003/ Accepted 5 April 2004

Studies on solar inactivation of Escherichia coli in freshwater and in situ have been limited. At 63rd St. Beach, Chicago, Ill., factors influencing the daily periodicity of culturable E. coli, particularly insolation, were examined. Water samples for E. coli analysis were collected twice daily between April and September 2000 three times a week along five transects in two depths of water. Hydrometeorological conditions were continuously logged: UV radiation, total insolation, wind speed and direction, wave height, and relative lake level. On 10 days, transects were sampled hourly from 0700 to 1500 h. The effect of sunlight on E. coli inactivation was evaluated with dark and transparent in situ mesocosms and ambient lake water. For the study, the number of E. coli samples collected (n) was 2,676. During sunny days, E. coli counts decreased exponentially with day length and exposure to insolation, but on cloudy days, E. coli inactivation was diminished; the E. coli decay rate was strongly influenced by initial concentration. In situ experiments confirmed that insolation primarily inactivated E. coli; UV radiation only marginally affected E. coli concentration. The relationship between insolation and E. coli density is complicated by relative lake level, wave height, and turbidity, all of which are often products of wind vector. Continuous importation and nighttime replenishment of E. coli were evident. These findings (i) suggest that solar inactivation is an important mechanism for natural reduction of indicator bacteria in large freshwater bodies and (ii) have implications for management strategies of nontidal waters and the use of E. coli as an indicator organism.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: U.S. Geological Survey, Great Lakes Science Center, 1100 N. Mineral Springs Rd., Porter, IN 46304. Phone: (219) 926-8336. Fax: (219) 929-5792. E-mail: richard_whitman{at}usgs.gov.

{dagger} This article is contribution 1289 of the USGS Great Lakes Science Center.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, July 2004, p. 4276-4285, Vol. 70, No. 7
0099-2240/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.70.7.4276-4285.2004




This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Heaney, C. D., Sams, E., Wing, S., Marshall, S., Brenner, K., Dufour, A. P., Wade, T. J. (2009). Contact With Beach Sand Among Beachgoers and Risk of Illness. Am J Epidemiol 170: 164-172 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Abdelzaher, A. M., Solo-Gabriele, H. M., Wright, M. E., Palmer, C. J. (2008). Sequential Concentration of Bacteria and Viruses from Marine Waters using a Dual Membrane System. J. Environ. Qual. 37: 1648-1655 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Nevers, M. B., Whitman, R. L., Frick, W. E., Ge, Z. (2007). Interaction and Influence of Two Creeks on Escherichia coli Concentrations of Nearby Beaches: Exploration of Predictability and Mechanisms. J. Environ. Qual. 36: 1338-1345 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Whitman, R. L., Nevers, M. B., Byappanahalli, M. N. (2006). Examination of the Watershed-Wide Distribution of Escherichia coli along Southern Lake Michigan: an Integrated Approach. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 7301-7310 [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»