title: Presence and survival of culturable Campylobacter spp. and Escherichia coli in a temperate urban estuary.
abstract: Urban estuaries throughout the world typically contain elevated levels of faecal contamination, the extent of which is generally assessed using faecal indicator organisms (FIO) such as Escherichia coli. This study assesses whether the bacterial FIO, E. coli is a suitable surrogate for Campylobacter spp., in estuaries. The presence and survival dynamics of culturable E. coli and Campylobacter spp. are compared in the water column, bank sediments and bed sediments of the Yarra River estuary (located in Melbourne, Australia). The presence of E. coli did not necessarily indicate detectable levels of Campylobacter spp. in the water column, bed and bank sediments, but the inactivation rates of the two bacteria were similar in the water column. A key finding of the study is that E. coli and Campylobacter spp. can survive for up to 14days in the water column and up to 21days in the bed and bank sediments of the estuary. Preliminary data presented in this study also suggests that the inactivation rates of the two bacteria may be similar in bed and bank sediments. This undermines previous hypotheses that Campylobacter spp. cannot survive outside of its host and indicates that public health risks can persist in aquatic systems for up to three weeks after the initial contamination event.
authors.affiliation: Environmental and Public Health Microbiology Laboratory (EPHM Lab), Department of Civil Engineering, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton 3800, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Christelle
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schang
authors.affiliation: Environmental and Public Health Microbiology Laboratory (EPHM Lab), Department of Civil Engineering, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton 3800, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lintern
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, Monash University, Wellington Rd, Clayton 3800, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Perran L M
authors.initials: PLM
authors.lastname: Cook
authors.affiliation: Jomar Life Research, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Osborne
authors.affiliation: Environmental and Public Health Microbiology Laboratory (EPHM Lab), Department of Civil Engineering, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton 3800, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Anand
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McKinley
authors.affiliation: ALS Environmental, Dalmore Drive, Scoresby 3179, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Jonathon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Melbourne Water Corporation, La Trobe Street, Docklands 3008, Australia.
authors.forename: Rhys
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Coleman
authors.affiliation: Melbourne Water Corporation, La Trobe Street, Docklands 3008, Australia.
authors.forename: Graham
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rooney
authors.affiliation: Environmental and Public Health Microbiology Laboratory (EPHM Lab), Department of Civil Engineering, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton 3800, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Rebekah
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Henry
authors.affiliation: Environmental and Public Health Microbiology Laboratory (EPHM Lab), Department of Civil Engineering, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton 3800, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Deletic
authors.affiliation: Environmental and Public Health Microbiology Laboratory (EPHM Lab), Department of Civil Engineering, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton 3800, Victoria, Australia. Electronic address: david.mccarthy@monash.edu.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McCarthy
mesh_terms: D002167:Campylobacter / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002947:Cities; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D063366:Estuaries; D045483:Rivers / Q000382:microbiology*; D014739:Victoria
keywords: E. coli; Estuary; Faecal contamination; Presence; Survival; Thermophilic Campylobacter