title: The potential of lipopolysaccharide as a real-time biomarker of bacterial contamination in marine bathing water.
abstract: The use of total lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as a rapid biomarker for bacterial pollution was investigated at a bathing and surfing beach during the UK bathing season. The levels of faecal indicator bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli), the Gram-positive enterococci, and organisms commonly associated with faecal material, such as total coliforms and Bacteroides, were culturally monitored over four months to include a period of heavy rainfall and concomitant pollution. Endotoxin measurement was performed using a kinetic Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL) assay and found to correlate well with all indicators. Levels of LPS in excess of 50 Endotoxin Units (EU) mL(-1) were found to correlate with water that was unsuitable for bathing under the current European regulations. Increases in total LPS, mainly from Gram-negative indicator bacteria, are thus a potential real-time, qualitative method for testing bacterial quality of bathing waters.
authors.affiliation: B409 Portland Square, School of Biomedical and Biological Sciences, Plymouth University, Drake Circus, Plymouth, Devon, PL4 8AA, UK E-mail: anas.sattar@plymouth.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Anas A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Sattar
authors.affiliation: B409 Portland Square, School of Biomedical and Biological Sciences, Plymouth University, Drake Circus, Plymouth, Devon, PL4 8AA, UK E-mail: anas.sattar@plymouth.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Simon K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.affiliation: B409 Portland Square, School of Biomedical and Biological Sciences, Plymouth University, Drake Circus, Plymouth, Devon, PL4 8AA, UK E-mail: anas.sattar@plymouth.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Graham
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bradley
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001493:Bathing Beaches; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000032:analysis*; D012623:Seawater / Q000382:microbiology*; D006113:United Kingdom; D014871:Water Microbiology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; C082161:lipopolysaccharide A