title: Prevalence of Escherichia coli in surface waters of Southeast Asian cities.
abstract: Surface water samples were collected from rivers which fed into large urban areas within Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Thailand and were processed to enumerate Escherichia coli. Selected isolates were further characterized using PCR to detect the presence of specific virulence genes. Analyzing the four countries together, the approximate mean cfu/100 ml for E. coli counts in the dry season were log 4.3, while counts in the wet season were log 2.8. Of the 564 E. coli isolates screened for the presence of pathogenic genes, 3.9 % possessed at least one virulence gene. The most common pathogenic types found were Shiga toxin-producing E. coli isolates. These results reinforce the importance of monitoring urban surface waters for fecal contamination, that E. coli in these water environments may serve as opportunistic pathogens, and may help in determining the impact water usage from these rivers have on the public health of urban populations in Southeast Asia.
authors.affiliation: International Environmental Analysis and Education Center, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, 123 Cheomdan-Gwagiro, Bukgu, Gwangju, 500-712, Republic of Korea, kwidmer@gist.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Widmer
authors.forename: Nguyen Thi
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Van Ha
authors.forename: Soydoa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vinitnantharat
authors.forename: Suthipong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sthiannopkao
authors.forename: Setiawan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wangsaatmaja
authors.forename: Maria Angela Novi
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Prasetiati
authors.forename: Nguyen Cong
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Thanh
authors.forename: Kasame
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Thepnoo
authors.forename: Arief Dhany
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Sutadian
authors.forename: Huynh Thi Thanh
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Thao
authors.forename: Deby
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fapyane
authors.forename: Vibol
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: San
authors.forename: Pierangeli
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vital
authors.forename: Hor-Gil
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Hur
mesh_terms: D001210:Asia, Southeastern; D058491:Bacterial Load; D002947:Cities; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011634:Public Health; D045483:Rivers / Q000382:microbiology*; D012621:Seasons; D054323:Shiga-Toxigenic Escherichia coli / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D014505:Urban Population; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D014871:Water Microbiology; D060753:Water Quality
chemical_list: D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D037521:Virulence Factors