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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, October 2005, p. 5929-5934, Vol. 71, No. 10
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.10.5929-5934.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Concentrations of Pathogens and Indicators in Animal Feces in the Sydney Watershed

Peter Cox,^1,2 Merran Griffith,^1,2 Mark Angles,^1,2 Daniel Deere,² and Christobel Ferguson^2,3,4*

Sydney Water Corporation, 51 Hermitage Rd., West Ryde, New South Wales 2114,¹ Cooperative Research Centre for Water Quality and Treatment, Private Mailbag 3, Salisbury, South Australia 5108,² Sydney Catchment Authority, P.O. Box 323, Penrith, New South Wales 2751,³ University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia⁴

Received 28 October 2004/ Accepted 9 May 2005

A fecal analysis survey was undertaken to quantify animal inputs of pathogenic and indicator microorganisms in the temperate watersheds of Sydney, Australia. The feces from a range of domestic animals and wildlife were analyzed for the indicator bacteria fecal coliforms and Clostridium perfringens spores, the pathogenic protozoa Cryptosporidium and Giardia, and the enteric viruses adenovirus, enterovirus, and reovirus. Pathogen and fecal indicator concentrations were generally higher in domestic animal feces than in wildlife feces. Future studies to quantify potential pathogen risks in drinking-water watersheds should thus focus on quantifying pathogen loads from domestic animals and livestock rather than wildlife.

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* Corresponding author. Present address: Ecowise Environmental, P.O. Box 1834, Fyshwick, ACT 2609, Australia. Phone: 61 2 6270 7650. Fax: 61 2 6270 7631. E-mail:cferguson{at}ecowise.com.au.

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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, October 2005, p. 5929-5934, Vol. 71, No. 10
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.10.5929-5934.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

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