Coliforms as a measure of sewage contamination of the River Zambezi

The effect of releasing untreated sewage from Victoria Falls Town into the Zambezi river was determined by bacteriological examination of water samples collected upstream of Victoria Falls and for 22 km downstream. Most probable numbers of faecal coliforms and Escherichia coli were estimated. Water upstream of the falls, on the Zimbabwe side of the river, contained between seven and 130 E. coli per 100 ml. This section of the river was free from major sources of faecal pollution. Below the falls, but before the Victoria Falls Town sewage outfall, numbers of E. coli were between 1.8 X 10(2) and 1.4 X 10(4)/100 ml, indicating the existence of a sewage discharge other than that from Victoria Falls Town. The river was also highly polluted from the Victoria Falls Town sewage outfall to a point 18.6 km downstream. The highest E. coli count was 3.3 X 10(4)/100 ml and declined slowly to 1.4 X 10(3)/100 ml 18.6 km downstream of the outfall.     

Coliforms as a measure of sewage contamination of the River Zambezi

The effect of releasing untreated sewage from Victoria Falls Town into the Zambezi river was determined by bacteriological examination of water samples collected upstream of Victoria Falls and for 22 km downstream. Most probable numbers of faecal coliforms and Escherichia coli were estimated. Water upstream of the falls, on the Zimbabwe side of the river, contained between seven and 130 E. coli per 100 ml. This section of the river was free from major sources of faecal pollution. Below the falls, but before the Victoria Falls Town sewage outfall, numbers of E. coli were between 1.8 × 10² and 1.4 × 10⁴/100 ml, indicating the existence of a sewage discharge other than that from Victoria Falls Town. The river was also highly polluted from the Victoria Falls Town sewage outfall to a point 18.6 km downstream. The highest E. coli count was 3.3 × 10⁴/100 ml and declined slowly to 1.4 × 10³/100 ml 18.6 km downstream of the outfall.     

Flight directionality of Tribolium castaneum soon after take‐off under glasshouse and field conditions

Flight directionality of the rust‐red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), was investigated under glasshouse and field conditions using sticky traps placed around dense experimental infestations of T. castaneum derived from field‐collected samples. Although beetles of this species are known to fly quite readily, information on flight of beetles away from grain resources is limited. Under still glasshouse conditions, T. castaneum does not demonstrate strong horizontal or vertical trajectories in their initial flight behaviour. Flight was significantly directional in half of the replicates, but trapped beetles were only weakly concentrated around the mean direction of flight. In the field, by contrast, emigration of T. castaneum was strongly directional soon after flight initiation. The mean vector lengths were generally >0.5 which indicates that trapped beetles were strongly concentrated around the calculated mean flight direction. A circular‐circular regression of mean flight vs. mean downwind direction suggested that flight direction was generally correlated with downwind direction. The mean height at which T. castaneum individuals initially flew was 115.4 ± 7.0 cm, with 58.3% of beetles caught no more than 1 m above the ground. The height at which beetles were trapped did not correlate with wind speed at the time of sampling, but the data do indicate that wind speed significantly affected T. castaneum flight initiation, because no beetles (or very few; no more than three) were trapped in the field when the mean wind speed was above 3 m s^?1. This study thus demonstrates that wind speed and direction are both important aspects of flight behaviour of T. castaneum, and therefore of the spatio‐temporal dynamics of this species.     

Enchanced accuracy of coliform testing in seawater by a modification of the most-probable-number method.

A 1-year study of marine water sample from six beach locations showed that the most-probable-number method failed to recover significant numbers of coli-forms. Modifying this method by transferring, after 48 h, presumptive negatives (growth and no gas production) to confirmed and fecal coliform media significantly improved recovery. Tests which were presumptive negative but confirmed as fecal coliform positive were designated as false negatives. Most-probable-number method false negatives occurred throughout the year, with 143 of 270 samples collected producing false negatives. More than 50% of fecal coliform false-negative isolates were Escherichia coli. Inclusion of false-negative tubes into the coliform most-probable-number method data resulted in increased violation of the California ocean water contact sports standard at all sites. More than 20% of the samples collected were in violation of this standard. These data indicate that modification of the most-probable-number method increases detection of coliform numbers in the marine environment.     

Enchanced accuracy of coliform testing in seawater by a modification of the most-probable-number method.

A 1-year study of marine water sample from six beach locations showed that the most-probable-number method failed to recover significant numbers of coli-forms. Modifying this method by transferring, after 48 h, presumptive negatives (growth and no gas production) to confirmed and fecal coliform media significantly improved recovery. Tests which were presumptive negative but confirmed as fecal coliform positive were designated as false negatives. Most-probable-number method false negatives occurred throughout the year, with 143 of 270 samples collected producing false negatives. More than 50% of fecal coliform false-negative isolates were Escherichia coli. Inclusion of false-negative tubes into the coliform most-probable-number method data resulted in increased violation of the California ocean water contact sports standard at all sites. More than 20% of the samples collected were in violation of this standard. These data indicate that modification of the most-probable-number method increases detection of coliform numbers in the marine environment.     

Airborne movement of anthrax spores from carcass sites in the Etosha National Park, Namibia

Tests for airborne movement of anthrax spores downwind from three heavily contaminated carcass sites were carried out under a range of wind conditions. Anthrax spores were detected in just three of 43 cyclone or gelatin filter air samples taken at distances of 6, 12 and 18 m from the sites. In addition, nine positives resulted during sampling sessions in which the site was mechanically disturbed, with a further five positives being found in sessions subsequent to those in which the site had been disturbed. The three positive samples not related to man-made disturbance were associated with the highest winds experienced during the study. Despite colony counts exceeding 100 on the culture plates in three instances, calculations showed that these represented very low worst case probable spore inhalation rates for animals or humans exposed to such levels. The low number of positives, the clear pattern of rapidly declining numbers of anthrax spores with distance downwind from the centres of the sites apparent on settle plates, and the persisting levels of contamination despite wind and rain, collectively suggest that the anthrax spores were associated with fairly heavy particles, although this was not seen by electron microscopy on soil samples from the sites. Overall, the findings are interpreted as indicating that it is very unlikely that Etosha animals contract anthrax by the inhalation route while simply in transit near or across a carcass site. The significance of the observations in relation to weather conditions in the Etosha, other studies on particulate aerosols in the region, and reports of long-distance airborne movement of microbes, is discussed.     

Abundance and characteristics of the recreational water quality indicator bacteria Escherichia coli and enterococci in gull faeces

AIMS: To evaluate the numbers and selected phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of the faecal indicator bacteria Escherichia coli and enterococci in gull faeces at representative Great Lakes swimming beaches in the United States. METHODS AND RESULTS: E. coli and enterococci were enumerated in gull faeces by membrane filtration. E. coli genotypes (rep-PCR genomic profiles) and E. coli (Vitek GNI+) and enterococci (API rapid ID 32 Strep and resistance to streptomycin, gentamicin, vancomycin, tetracycline and ampicillin) phenotypes were determined for isolates obtained from gull faeces both early and late in the swimming season. Identical E. coli genotypes were obtained only from single gull faecal samples but most faecal samples yielded more than one genotype (median of eight genotypes for samples with 10 isolates). E. coli isolates from the same site that clustered at >/=85% similarity were from the same sampling date and shared phenotypic characteristics, and at this similarity level there was population overlap between the two geographically isolated beach sites. Enterococcus API(R) profiles varied with sampling date. Gull enterococci displayed wide variation in antibiotic resistance patterns, and high-level resistance to some antibiotics. CONCLUSIONS: Gull faeces could be a major contributor of E. coli (10(5)-10(9) CFU g(-1)) and enterococci (10(4)-10(8) CFU g(-)1) to Great Lakes recreational waters. E. coli and enterococci in gull faeces are highly variable with respect to their genotypic and phenotypic characteristics and may exhibit temporal or geographic trends in these features. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The high degree of variation in genotypic or phenotypic characteristics of E. coli or enterococci populations within gull hosts will require extensive sampling for adequate characterization, and will influence methods that use these characteristics to determine faecal contamination sources for recreational waters.     

Three-dimensional analysis of aphid landing behaviour in the laboratory and field

The final second of the landing approach of black bean aphids, Aphis fabae, was analysed in three dimensions using video techniques. A yellow landing platform was placed upwind or downwind from aphids aggregating under a ceiling light in a laboratory wind tunnel with 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50 cm s^–1 wind speeds, and up-tunnel or down-tunnel in still air. As individual aphids flew to the platform, body orientation (assessed by direct observation) was predominantly into-wind whether the initial flight direction to the landing platform was upwind or downwind. A greater proportion showed into-wind body orientation as wind speed increased. Flight track parameters which differed significantly between wind speeds were the track length, linear start to finish distance, linearity index, horizontal ground speed, speed vertical to the ground, vertical turning rate, and horizontal turning rate. The position of the landing platform was important for track length, linear start to finish distance, horizontal ground speed, three-dimensional turning rate, horizontal turning rate, vertical turning rate, and sinuosity. As wind speed increased above 30 cm s^–1 the ground speed became more consistent and indicated considerable variation in air speed to adjust for ground speed. For the majority of aphids there was a strong preference (88%) for into-wind landings with initial upwind directed flight, while for downwind flights a significant number (55%) of insects reversed initial flight direction and landed into-wind. Field recorded landings showed that 66% of aphids landed into-wind and there was a mean bearing to the wind of 71 ± 42°, a similar finding to wind-tunnel studies.     

Solar and temporal effects on Escherichia coli concentration at a Lake Michigan swimming beach

Studies on solar inactivation of Escherichia coli in freshwater and in situ have been limited. At 63rd St. Beach, Chicago, Ill., factors influencing the daily periodicity of culturable E. coli, particularly insolation, were examined. Water samples for E. coli analysis were collected twice daily between April and September 2000 three times a week along five transects in two depths of water. Hydrometeorological conditions were continuously logged: UV radiation, total insolation, wind speed and direction, wave height, and relative lake level. On 10 days, transects were sampled hourly from 0700 to 1500 h. The effect of sunlight on E. coli inactivation was evaluated with dark and transparent in situ mesocosms and ambient lake water. For the study, the number of E. coli samples collected (n) was 2,676. During sunny days, E. coli counts decreased exponentially with day length and exposure to insolation, but on cloudy days, E. coli inactivation was diminished; the E. coli decay rate was strongly influenced by initial concentration. In situ experiments confirmed that insolation primarily inactivated E. coli; UV radiation only marginally affected E. coli concentration. The relationship between insolation and E. coli density is complicated by relative lake level, wave height, and turbidity, all of which are often products of wind vector. Continuous importation and nighttime replenishment of E. coli were evident. These findings (i) suggest that solar inactivation is an important mechanism for natural reduction of indicator bacteria in large freshwater bodies and (ii) have implications for management strategies of nontidal waters and the use of E. coli as an indicator organism.     

Departure of migrating European robins, Erithacus rubecula, from a stopover site in relation to wind and rain

Migratory birds replenishing their fuel stores have to decide when to leave their stopover site for the next flight bout. We studied whether the decision to leave a stopover site depends on wind and rain conditions. From capture-recapture data of 1153 European robins collected during three autumns at a stopover site in Switzerland, we estimated the daily emigration probability with a newly developed multistate capture-recapture model that accounts for the occurrence of transients. We tested whether the variation in the daily emigration probabilities can be explained by wind speed, wind direction (both on the ground and 300 m above ground) or rain. Variation in emigration probability was largely explained by variation in wind at 300 m and rain. The emigration probability was highest (0.5) during nights with no or weak (<1.5 m/s) winds at 300 m and no rain, intermediate (0.15-0.2) on nights without rain and with medium wind (>1.5 m/s), and on nights with weak winds (<1.5 m/s) and rain; and almost zero during nights with rain and strong winds at 300 m. Wind direction at 300 m and wind conditions (speed and direction) on the ground had no influence on departure decision. We suggest that birds may consider cues other than wind speed at ground level to predict wind speed at higher altitudes, and that they consider wind direction only when aloft by selecting an optimal flight altitude. Wind speed aloft and rain appeared to be significant factors that synchronize bird migration spatially and temporally.     

Visually-guided, upwind turning behaviour of free-flying tsetse flies in odour-laden wind: a wind-tunnel study

Abstract. To test the hypothesis that tsetse flies use visual input from the apparent movement of the ground to assess wind direction while in flight, Glossina morsitans morsitans Westwood females were video- recorded in a wind-tunnel as they entered, in cross-wind flight, a broad plume of simulated host odour (C0₂ at c. 0.05%). The tunnel (2.3 times 1.2 m wide) generated winds up to 0.25 m s^-1 and had a strongly patterned floor that could be moved upwind or downwind to increase or decrease the visual input due to wind drift. Flight tracks were analysed for speed, direction relative to the wind, and angle of turn. Mean groundspeeds were c. 1.8 m s^-1. In control measurements in still air (with or without odour) flies turned 50:50 'upwind': 'downwind'. With a 0.25 m s^-1 odour-perme- ated wind, 79% turned upwind, and c. 70% left view flying upwind. When the floor was moved at 0.25 m s^-1 upwind (to mimic the visual input from the ground due to a 0.5 m s_^-1 wind), the strength of this response increased. If instead the floor was moved downwind, faster than the wind speed (to mimic the visual input due to a wind from the opposite direction), 59% turned downwind and c. 70% left view flying downwind, and thus away from the source (though progressing 'upwind' in terms of the visual input from apparent ground pattern movement). Upwind turns were on average significantly larger than downwind turns. It is concluded that tsetse navigate up host odour plumes in flight by responding to the visual flow fields due to their movement over the ground (optomotor anemotaxis), even in weak winds blowing at a fraction of their groundspeed.     

Ubiquity and persistence of Escherichia coli in a Midwestern coastal stream

Dunes Creek, a small Lake Michigan coastal stream that drains sandy aquifers and wetlands of Indiana Dunes, has chronically elevated Escherichia coli levels along the bathing beach near its outfall. This study sought to understand the sources of E. coli in Dunes Creek's central branch. A systematic survey of random and fixed sampling points of water and sediment was conducted over 3 years. E. coli concentrations in Dunes Creek and beach water were significantly correlated. Weekly monitoring at 14 stations during 1999 and 2000 indicated chronic loading of E. coli throughout the stream. Significant correlations between E. coli numbers in stream water and stream sediment, submerged sediment and margin, and margin and 1 m from shore were found. Median E. coli counts were highest in stream sediments, followed by bank sediments, sediments along spring margins, stream water, and isolated pools; in forest soils, E. coli counts were more variable and relatively lower. Sediment moisture was significantly correlated with E. coli counts. Direct fecal input inadequately explains the widespread and consistent occurrence of E. coli in the Dunes Creek watershed; long-term survival or multiplication or both seem likely. The authors conclude that (i) E. coli is ubiquitous and persistent throughout the Dunes Creek basin, (ii) E. coli occurrence and distribution in riparian sediments help account for the continuous loading of the bacteria in Dunes Creek, and (iii) ditching of the stream, increased drainage, and subsequent loss of wetlands may account for the chronically high E. coli levels observed.     

Detecting human bacterial contamination in Antarctic soils

The presence of non-indigenous microbial contaminants resulting from human faecal contamination of old and currently occupied base and field camp sites in South Victoria Land, Antarctica, was assessed by PCR amplification of extracted soil DNA using species-specific PCR primers. Positive controls (samples recovered from the environs of Scott Base, including the sewage outfall) gave strong signals with Escherichia coli primers whereas Clostridium clostridiiforme primers yielded a signal only with the sewage outfall sample. A comparison was made of PCR amplification results from samples from the abandoned Canada Glacier camp site, the Lake Fryxell summer camp site, the Cape Bird Adelie penguin colony and pristine sites from relatively inaccessible regions of the Taylor Valley. Results indicated a possible residual level of E. coli contamination in the abandoned Canada Glacier camp site, but no significant contamination of the currently occupied Lake Fryxell camp site. These data may provide indirect evidence for improved awareness and standards of waste handling and disposal over the past two decades of Dry Valley field research. Accepted: 25 March 2000     

The flight behaviour of individual passerine nocturnal migrants: A tracking radar study

Nocturnal passerine migrants were tracked with a small automatic tracking radar during spring migration in eastern New York. Climbing, descending and markedly non-linear tracks were selected for analysis because they may reveal relationships not evident in normal straight and level tracks. Climbing individuals ascended at 1 to 2 vertical metres per second by heading into the wind and increasing their ascent angles while air speed tended to remain constant. Within individual tracks, birds flew slower when flying downwind than when flying into the wind and changes in air speed were performed over periods of a few seconds. A small amount of data suggested that this behaviour did not occur under overcast skies. Both the direction and speed of the wind force were important in predicting air speed. Multiple regression analysis indicated that faster flying birds were more likely to fly in winds of high speed and at large angles into the wind.     

The release of genetically modified grasses. Part 2: the influence of wind direction on pollen dispersal

 In part 1 an experiment was described for determining the extent of pollen dispersal from a Lolium source. The results were used to test Bateman’s pollen dispersal equations, which were found to be not particularly useful for describing variation in pollen deposition with distance. An improvement is suggested here which takes the influence of wind direction into account. For 11 of the 12 datasets the new equations fit significantly better than the original ones. Mean wind directions were used to produce 15 data subsets for testing Bateman’s equations for dispersal downwind of a pollen source. These equations fitted only 4 of the data subsets, all of which were collected from traps facing towards the pollen source. The usefulness of the model equations in estimating the importance of turbulence is brought into question. It is shown that models incorporating only distance and wind direction do not accurately describe pollen deposition. The amount of pollen deposited does not always decrease smoothly with increasing distance from the source. The variation in the amount of pollen deposited is probably influenced by several factors, including wind speed and turbulence. Received: 5 June 1996 / Accepted: 11 October 1996     

Impact of microbial diversity on rapid detection of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli in surface waters

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) are a physiologically, immunologically and genetically diverse collection of strains that pose a serious water-borne threat to human health. Consequently, immunological and PCR assays have been developed for the rapid, sensitive detection of presumptive EHEC. However, the ability of these assays to consistently detect presumptive EHEC while excluding closely related non-EHEC strains has not been documented. We conducted a 30-month monitoring study of a major metropolitan watershed. Surface water samples were analyzed using an immunological assay for E. coli O157 (the predominant strain worldwide) and a multiplex PCR assay for the virulence genes stx(1), stx(2) and eae. The mean frequency of water samples positive for the presence of E. coli O157, stx(1) or stx(2) genes, or the eae gene was 50%, 26% and 96%, respectively. Quantitative analysis of selected enriched water samples indicated that even in samples positive for E. coli O157 cells, stx(1)/stx(2) genes, and the eae gene, the concentrations were rarely comparable. Seventeen E. coli O157 strains were isolated, however, none were EHEC. These data indicate the presence of multiple strains similar to EHEC but less pathogenic. These findings have important ramifications for the rapid detection of presumptive EHEC; namely, that current immunological or PCR assays cannot reliably identify water-borne EHEC strains.     

Longitudinal study of the contamination of air and of soil surfaces in the vicinity of pig barns by livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

During 1 year, samples were taken on 4 days, one sample in each season, from pigs, the floor, and the air inside pig barns and from the ambient air and soil at different distances outside six commercial livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA)-positive pig barns in the north and east of Germany. LA-MRSA was isolated from animals, floor, and air samples in the barn, showing a range of airborne LA-MRSA between 6 and 3,619 CFU/m(3) (median, 151 CFU/m(3)). Downwind of the barns, LA-MRSA was detected in low concentrations (11 to 14 CFU/m(3)) at distances of 50 and 150 m; all upwind air samples were negative. In contrast, LA-MRSA was found on soil surfaces at distances of 50, 150, and 300 m downwind from all barns, but no statistical differences could be observed between the proportions of positive soil surface samples at the three different distances. Upwind of the barns, positive soil surface samples were found only sporadically. Significantly more positive LA-MRSA samples were found in summer than in the other seasons both in air and soil samples upwind and downwind of the pig barns. spa typing was used to confirm the identity of LA-MRSA types found inside and outside the barns. The results show that there is regular airborne LA-MRSA transmission and deposition, which are strongly influenced by wind direction and season, of up to at least 300 m around positive pig barns. The described boot sampling method seems suitable to characterize the contamination of the vicinity of LA-MRSA-positive pig barns by the airborne route.     

Sources of variation in the ampicillin-resistant Escherichia coli concentration in the feces of organic broiler chickens

Currently, there are limited published data for the population dynamics of antimicrobial-resistant commensal bacteria. This study was designed to evaluate both the proportions of the Escherichia coli populations that are resistant to ampicillin at the level of the individual chicken on commercial broiler farms and the feasibility of obtaining repeated measures of fecal E. coli concentrations. Short-term temporal variation in the concentration of fecal E. coli was investigated, and a preliminary assessment was made of potential factors involved in the shedding of high numbers of ampicillin-resistant E. coli by growing birds in the absence of the use of antimicrobial drugs. Multilevel linear regression modeling revealed that the largest component of random variation in log-transformed fecal E. coli concentrations was seen between sampling occasions for individual birds. The incorporation of fixed effects into the model demonstrated that the older, heavier birds in the study were significantly more likely (P = 0.0003) to shed higher numbers of ampicillin-resistant E. coli. This association between increasing weight and high shedding was not seen for the total fecal E. coli population (P = 0.71). This implies that, in the absence of the administration of antimicrobial drugs, the proportion of fecal E. coli that was resistant to ampicillin increased as the birds grew. This study has shown that it is possible to collect quantitative microbiological data on broiler farms and that such data could make valuable contributions to risk assessments concerning the transfer of resistant bacteria between animal and human populations.