title: Assessment of Genetic Markers for Tracking the Sources of Human Wastewater Associated Escherichia coli in Environmental Waters.
abstract: In this study, we have evaluated the performance characteristics (host-specificity and -sensitivity) of four human wastewater-associated Escherichia coli (E. coli) genetic markers (H8, H12, H14, and H24) in 10 target (human) and nontarget (cat, cattle, deer, dog, emu, goat, horse, kangaroo, and possum) host groups in Southeast Queensland, Australia. The overall host-sensitivity values of the tested markers in human wastewater samples were 1.0 (all human wastewater samples contained the E. coli genetic markers). The overall host-specificity values of these markers to differentiate between human and animal host groups were 0.94, 0.85, 0.72, and 0.57 for H8, H12, H24, and H14, respectively. Based on the higher host-specificity values, H8 and H12 markers were chosen for a validation environmental study. The prevalence of the H8 and H12 markers was determined among human wastewater E. coli isolates collected from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Among the 97 isolates tested, 44 (45%) and 14 (14%) were positive for the H8 and H12 markers, respectively. A total of 307 E. coli isolates were tested from environmental water samples collected in Brisbane, of which 7% and 20% were also positive for the H8 and H12 markers, respectively. Based on our results, we recommend that these markers could be useful when it is important to identify the source(s) of E. coli (whether they originated from human wastewater or not) in environmental waters.
authors.affiliation: †CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Brisbane, Queensland 4102, Australia.|‡Faculty of Science, Health and Education, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, DC, Queensland 4558, Australia.
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Warish
authors.affiliation: §Environmental Science, Spelman College, Atlanta, Georgia 30314, United States.
authors.forename: Cheryl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Triplett
authors.affiliation: ∥Department of Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Katsura, Nishikyo-ku, 615-8540, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryota
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gomi
authors.affiliation: †CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Brisbane, Queensland 4102, Australia.|⊥School of Public Health, University of Queensland, Herston Road, Herston, Queensland 4006, Australia.
authors.forename: Pradip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gyawali
authors.affiliation: †CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Brisbane, Queensland 4102, Australia.
authors.forename: Leonie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hodgers
authors.affiliation: †CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Brisbane, Queensland 4102, Australia.|⊥School of Public Health, University of Queensland, Herston Road, Herston, Queensland 4006, Australia.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Toze
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D004777:Environment; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics*; D005819:Genetic Markers; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011793:Queensland; D062065:Wastewater / Q000382:microbiology*; D014871:Water Microbiology
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D005819:Genetic Markers; D062065:Wastewater