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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2009, p. 316-321, Vol. 75, No. 2
0099-2240/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.01205-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Correlation of Shiga Toxin Gene Frequency with Commonly Used Microbial Indicators of Recreational Water Quality{triangledown} ,{dagger}

Cody J. Smith, Adam M. Olszewski, and Steven A. Mauro*

Department of Biology, Mercyhurst College, 501 East 38th Street, Erie, Pennsylvania 16546

Received 30 May 2008/ Accepted 5 November 2008

Shiga toxin (Stx) genes produce proteins that are pathogenic to humans, leading to severe gastrointestinal illness. This work focuses on examining the abundance and distribution of stx genes in relation to common microbial indicators in beach water and streams in the vicinity of Presque Isle State Park in Erie, PA. By use of quantitative PCR, the relative abundance levels of stx DNA in over 700 samples in the sampling area were determined. The results demonstrate that the abundance and distribution of stx genes are variable and do not correlate with the abundance of Escherichia coli bacteria, enterococci, or viral particles. These results suggest that microbial indicators of water quality are not adequate in predicting the occurrence of organisms that harbor stx genes and highlight the need for standardized pathogen-specific detection protocols for waters utilized for recreational swimming.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Mercyhurst College, 501 East 38th Street, Erie, PA 16546. Phone: (814) 824-3619. Fax: (814) 824-2188. E-mail: smauro{at}mercyhurst.edu

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 14 November 2008.

{dagger} Supplemental material for this article may be found at http://aem.asm.org/.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2009, p. 316-321, Vol. 75, No. 2
0099-2240/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.01205-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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