title: Survival of selected pathogens in diluted sludge of a thermophilic waste treatment plant and in NaCl-solution under aerobic and anaerobic conditions.
abstract: Decimal reduction times (DRT or D-value) of Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella enterica (formerly Salmonella choleraesuis) serovar Senftenberg, Escherichia coli, and Listeria monocytogenes were determined in two different matrices, diluted fermenter sludge (DFS) and 0.95% NaCl-solution (NaCl) at 50 degrees C, both under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Depending on aeration, matrix composition, and the respective organism, the D-values varied between 10min and more than 15h. Generally the viability of bacteria decreased faster in DFS compared to NaCl-solution and under aerobic compared to anaerobic conditions. After 24h no viable cells could be detected in DFS, both under aerobic as well as under anaerobic conditions, whereas viable cells were still found in NaCl solutions. In both matrices the detection limits determined by means of PCR-based and classical microbiological methods were compared and pointed to lower detection limits of the latter methods. Results of the present investigation show that test organisms were far from surviving several days in DFS whereas hydraulic retention times normally used for thermophilic anaerobic digestion are in the range of 2 weeks. However, an underestimation of survival rates of the test organisms seems probable when applying aerobic standard methods.
authors.affiliation: University of Innsbruck, Institute of Microbiology, Technikerstr. 25, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria. Andreas.Wagner@uibk.ac.at
authors.forename: Andreas Otto
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: Cornelia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Malin
authors.forename: Gudrun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gstraunthaler
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Illmer
mesh_terms: D000332:Aerobiosis; D000693:Anaerobiosis; D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005285:Fermentation; D012722:Sewage / Q000382:microbiology*; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000737:chemistry*; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D012722:Sewage; D012965:Sodium Chloride