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RE: Swimmers should take E. coli warnings seriously
More Fun with E. coli -
besides being resuspended in sediment, coming for water fowl and storm drains, there is another aspect that makes things even more interesting - e. coli and other fecal bacteria living in and among algae and sea weed. We found this particularly of issue during algal blooms.
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-beachnet@great-lakes.net
[mailto:owner-beachnet@great-lakes.net]On Behalf Of Randall E. Hicks
Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2007 11:10 AM
To: Alm, Elizabeth Wheeler
Cc: Shannon Briggs; beachnet@great-lakes.net
Subject: RE: Swimmers should take E. coli warnings seriously
Hi Elizabeth,
We were also curious if fish harbor E. coli and if so, where they might
come from. So, last year we examined this more closely in the
Duluth-Superior harbor. Several studies have shown that fish in
aquaculture systems harbor fecal coliforms and E. coli, but wild fish
have rarely been examined. Some of our findings were:
"Escherichia coli and fecal coliform bacteria were isolated from five
benthic and four pelagic fish species. Although fecal coliforms were
isolated from each fish species, they were only isolated from 66% and
72% of the individual benthic and pelagic fish, respectively. While
42% of the fecal coliforms from benthic fish were E. coli, only 4% of
from pelagic fish were E. coli."
The manuscript (by Hansen, Clark, Ishii, Sadowsky and Hicks) containing
this data and also information about the sources of these fish E. coli
was submitted to the Journal of Great Lakes Research this next week.
In two other studies recently published, we investigated the sources of
E. coli in beach sand, sediment, water, and periphyton at several
beaches near Duluth, MN. Although we found similar E. coli
concentrations in beach sand at one beach at different distances from
the swash zone, there were some other interesting findings:
"E. coli counts increased during the summer and early fall (July to
September). In spring (April and May), E. coli likely originated from
wastewater, while the percentage of E. coli from waterfowl increased
and became a major source of E. coli at this beach from early summer to
fall (June to October)." ... Our "results indicate that beach sand and
sediment serve as temporal sources and sinks of waterfowl and
human-derived E. coli that contribute to the closure of this beach."
Ishii, S., D. L. Hansen, R. E. Hicks, and M. J. Sadowsky. 2007. Beach
sand and sediments are temporal sinks and sources of Escherichia coli
in Lake Superior. Environmental Science and Technology 41:2203-2209.
In the other paper about perpiphyton E. coli, we found:
"waterfowl being the major source of E. coli in these periphyton
communities. The primary potential sources for most E. coli (57% to
81%) in overlying waters at these beaches were waterfowl, periphyton,
and wastewater." ... "E. coli attached to periphyton can detach and
contribute to fecal coliform numbers measured in coastal waters."
Ksoll, W. B, S. Ishii, M. J. Sadowsky, and R. E. Hicks. 2007. Presence
and sources of fecal coliform bacteria in epilithic periphyton
communities of Lake Superior. Applied and Environmental Microbiology
73:3771-3778.
I hope this is helpful to you and others.
Best regards,
Randall Hicks
ps - as you have probably figured out by now, mammals and birds are
both warm-blooded animal groups
--On Wednesday, July 18, 2007 8:58 AM -0400 "Alm, Elizabeth Wheeler"
<alm1ew@cmich.edu> wrote:
> I have a question for the group. Articles like this and others say
> that E. coli is found in warm-blooded animals. Birds are not
> "warm-blooded animals" are they? yet we know that some birds,
> particularly in the US carry E. coli (although David Gordon from
> Australia says that birds have very low levels of E. coli, Australian
> birds I presume). Also reptiles carry E. coli and I'm pretty sure
> amphibians do too. Do fish? I haven't ever looked myself, has anyone
> of the group?
> I've been taking transects this summer at beaches along the west
> coast of Lake Michigan and I can have 0 CFU/mL E. coli in the beach
> water, 60 CFU/mL in the subsurface sand directly below where the
> water came from, and 1050 CFU/mL E. coli in the swash sand just a
> meter up beach from the sub and water samples... and these are dry
> weather days.
> When I read this article I am still thinking that re-suspension of E.
> coli from the beach face is as likely as washing of pet waste and
> duck droppings into the bay. Any thoughts???
> Elizabeth Alm, Ph.D.
> Professor, Microbiology
> Central Michigan University
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: owner-beachnet@great-lakes.net on behalf of Shannon Briggs
> Sent: Wed 7/18/2007 8:35 AM
> To: beachnet@great-lakes.net
> Subject: Swimmers should take E. coli warnings seriously
>
>
>
> please see editorial in local paper
> http://www.record-eagle.com/2007/jul/17edit.htm
>
> 07/17/2007
> Editorial
> Swimmers should take E. coli warnings seriously
>
> The issue:
> E. coli warnings
>
> Our view:
> It's a serious issue
>
> See related story:
> Advisory warns of E. coli at area beaches - July 11, 2007
>
> Send a letter to the editor
>
> Swimmers should take E. coli warnings seriously
>
> Get used to it.
>
> If we have more big rainstorms, we're probably going to see more E.
> coli warnings this summer like those issued last week for West and
> East Bay beaches.
>
> Local health officials changed their protocol this year for putting
> out the advisories. In past years, they issued alerts after the
> second day of high counts because the counts often went down within
> 24 hours after a storm. This year, public warnings are issued on the
> first day.
>
> High E. coli counts are an indicator of unhealthy water and the need
> for individuals, local governments and state agencies to ratchet up
> monitoring, public education efforts and policies that safeguard
> Grand Traverse Bay and the people who use it.
>
> Here are some things we can do:
>
> * Take the warnings seriously.
>
> A high E. coli count is an indicator of fecal matter in the water.
> Warnings are issued if more than 300 colonies of E. coli are found in
> 100 milliliters of water, or about a tenth of a quart. The bacteria
> is found naturally in the digestive systems of warm-blooded animals,
> including humans. High counts mean that full-body contact with
> contaminated water can cause stomach aches, diarrhea, vomiting or
> other illnesses. Older adults, young children and people with
> compromised immune systems are especially vulnerable.
>
> * Understand the underlying cause.
>
> E. coli warnings in this region rarely have something to do with
> sewage spills. Most alerts come after heavy rains. Storm drains fill,
> overflow and flush duck droppings and animal waste as well as
> fertilizer and other debris into the bay. Such was the case with last
> week's warnings. Sections of beach closest to storm drains had the
> highest readings, said Sarah U'Ren, project coordinator for the
> Watershed Center Grand Traverse, which has the water at local beaches
> tested every Monday.
>
> * Do something to protect yourself and others.
>
> If you're thinking about going swimming after a heavy rainstorm,
> think again. Where do you want to go? Know where the storm drains
> are. Clinch Park Beach is not near a storm drain and rarely has a
> high E. coli count, U'Ren said.
>
> * Educate yourself and support public education efforts.
>
> Clean up pet waste and dispose of it in trash bins. Don't discharge
> boat and recreational vehicle sewage into the water or onto the
> ground where it can get in the groundwater. Report those who do. It's
> illegal for a very good reason - your health. The Department of
> Environmental Quality has a Web site -
> www.deq.state.mi.us/beach/public/default.aspx - that lists public
> beaches that are monitored by county. It also gives a history of test
> results.
>
>
> Copyright 1998-2007 Traverse City Record-Eagle
>
>
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____________________________________
Randall E. Hicks, Professor
Director, UMD Center for Freshwater Research and Policy
Department of Biology
1035 Kirby Drive, SSB 207
University of Minnesota Duluth
Duluth, MN 55812
Tel: 218-726-8438
Fax: 218-726-8142
Email: rhicks@d.umn.edu
Lab Web Site: http://www.d.umn.edu/~rhicks/lab/Home.html
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