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Title: SURVEYING THE BALTIMORE ECOSYSTEM STUDY STREAM SITES FOR THE PRESENCE OF ENTERIC PATHOGENS

Author
item Higgins, James
item Shelton, Daniel
item Karns, Jeffrey
item RUSSELL-ANELLI, JONATHAN - CUERE
item BELT, KENNETH - USDA-USFS

Submitted to: Baltimore Ecosystem Study Annual Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/5/2003
Publication Date: 10/16/2003
Citation: Higgins, J.A., Shelton, D.R., Karns, J.S., Russell-Anelli, J., Belt, K. 2003. Surveying the Baltimore Ecosystem study stream sites for the presence of enteric pathogens [Abstract]. Baltimore Ecosystem Study Annual Meeting. Brochure p.1.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: A team comprised of personnel from the USDA-ARS, the US Forest Service, and the Center for Urban Ecosystems Research and Education (CUERE), has been surveying Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES) streams and those from other locales in the metro Baltimore and Washington,DC areas for the presence of bacterial (pathogenic E. coli) and protozoal (Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia intestinalis)pathogens. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and gene sequencing are used to detect enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) among overall coliforms cultured from water samples. A combination of filtration, immunomagnetic separation (IMS) , and immunofluorescence microscopy are used to detect protozoa. Beginning in late April 2002, and continuing through the Fall of 2003, over 750 samples have been assayed for the presence of EPEC, with > 50% testing positive by PCR for the tir gene (a gene important in E. coli pathogenesis in the mammalian intestinal tract). BES sites associated with urban runoff (e.g., Gwynns Falls Gwynns Run, GFGR and Gwynns Falls Carroll Park) have a higher percentage of positive samples than those associated with forested or agricultural watersheds (e.g., Paint Branch, Baisman's Run, and McDonough). Beginning in late March 2003 and continuing through Fall 2003, surveys for oocysts of Cryptosporidium parvum and cysts of Giardia intestinalis have been positive for 6 of 23 samples taken from GFGR, the collection site with the highest coliform counts. Genotyping of protozoal isolates was accomplished using the hsp70 (C. parvum) and Triose Phosphate Isomerase (G. intestinalis) genes, and indicates that the protozoa originate from livestock / human sources. Our data indicate that pathogenic E. coli are surprisingly widespread in a variety of stream ecosystems.