title: Concentrations of pathogens and indicators in animal feces in the Sydney watershed.
abstract: A fecal analysis survey was undertaken to quantify animal inputs of pathogenic and indicator microorganisms in the temperate watersheds of Sydney, Australia. The feces from a range of domestic animals and wildlife were analyzed for the indicator bacteria fecal coliforms and Clostridium perfringens spores, the pathogenic protozoa Cryptosporidium and Giardia, and the enteric viruses adenovirus, enterovirus, and reovirus. Pathogen and fecal indicator concentrations were generally higher in domestic animal feces than in wildlife feces. Future studies to quantify potential pathogen risks in drinking-water watersheds should thus focus on quantifying pathogen loads from domestic animals and livestock rather than wildlife.
authors.affiliation: Ecowise Environmental, P.O. Box 1834, Fyshwick, ACT 2609, Australia.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.forename: Merran
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Griffith
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Angles
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Deere
authors.forename: Christobel
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ferguson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic / Q000382:microbiology*; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000382:microbiology*; D001315:Australia; D002415:Cats; D002417:Cattle; D003016:Clostridium perfringens / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003458:Cryptosporidium / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004285:Dogs; D004755:Enterobacteriaceae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000382:microbiology*; D005872:Giardia / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014780:Viruses / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014881:Water Supply