Effect of temperature on growth and activity of Aeromonas spp. and mixed bacterial populations in the Anacostia River.

During the winter months, total bacterial counts in the water column and in the sediment in the Anacostia River were two- to eightfold higher than at other times of the year, whereas Aeromonas spp. decreased in number of several orders of magnitude. This significant decrease in number in the Anacostia River during the cold months of the year can be explained by the low metabolic activity of Aeromonas at low temperatures.