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 Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Viau, E.
Right arrow Articles by Peccia, J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Viau, E.
Right arrow Articles by Peccia, J.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Viau, E.
Right arrow Articles by Peccia, J.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2009, p. 164-174, Vol. 75, No. 1
0099-2240/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.01331-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Survey of Wastewater Indicators and Human Pathogen Genomes in Biosolids Produced by Class A and Class B Stabilization Treatments {triangledown}

Emily Viau and Jordan Peccia*

Department of Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering Program, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520

Received 13 June 2008/ Accepted 27 October 2008

Accurate modeling of the infectious aerosol risk associated with the land application of biosolids requires an in-depth knowledge of the magnitudes and changes in pathogen concentrations for a variety of class A and class B stabilization methods. The following survey used quantitative PCR (qPCR) and culture assays to detect environmentally resistant bacterial and viral pathogens and biosolid indicator organisms for 36 biosolid grab samples. Biosolids were collected from 14 U.S. states and included 16 class B mesophilic anaerobic digestion (MAD) samples and 20 class A biosolid samples from temperature-phased anaerobic digestion (TPAD), MAD plus composting (COM), and MAD plus heat pelletization processes. The indicator concentrations of fecal coliforms and male-specific coliphages as well as pathogen genome concentrations for human adenovirus species, Legionella pneumophila, Staphylococcus aureus, and Clostridium difficile were significantly lower in the class A samples, and a multivariate analysis of variance ranked the stabilization processes from the lowest pathogen/indicator load to the highest as (i) class A COM, (ii) class A TPAD, and (iii) class B MAD. Human adenovirus genomes were found in 88% of the class B samples and 70 to 100% of the class A samples. L. pneumophila, S. aureus, and C. difficile genomes were detected at the qPCR assay detection limits in 19 to 50% of the class B and class A anaerobic digestion samples, while L. pneumophila was detected in 50% of the class A compost samples. When considering all the stabilization methods, both the fecal coliform and the male-specific coliphage concentrations show a significant linear correlation with the pathogen genome concentrations. This survey provides the necessary pathogen concentrations to add to biosolid aerosol risk and pathogen exposure analyses and clarifies the effectiveness of class A stabilization methods with the pathogen and indicator loads in biosolids.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520. Phone: (203) 432-4385. Fax: (203) 432-4387. E-mail: jordan.peccia{at}yale.edu

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 7 November 2008.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2009, p. 164-174, Vol. 75, No. 1
0099-2240/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.01331-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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