title: Indicator bacteria community in seawater and coastal sediment: the Persian Gulf as a case.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of present work was to assess the concentration levels as well as vertical distribution of indicator bacteria including total coliform, fecal coliform, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Heterotrophic Plate Count (HPC) in the marine environment (seawater and coastal sediments) and evaluate the correlation between indicator bacteria and some physicochemical parameters of surface sediments as well as seawaters.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total number of 48 seawater and sediment samples were taken from 8 stations (each site 6 times with an interval time of 2 weeks) between June and September 2014. Seawater and sediment samples were collected from 30 cm under the surface samples and different sediment depths (0, 4, 7, 10, 15, and 20 cm) respectively, along the Persian Gulf in Bushehr coastal areas.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Based on the results, the average numbers of bacterial indicators including total coliform, fecal coliform, andPseudomonas aeruginosaas well as HPC in seawater samples were 1238.13, 150.87, 8.22 MPN/100 ml and 1742.91 CFU/ml, respectively, and in sediment samples at different depths (from 0-20 cm) varied between 25 × 103to 51.67 × 103, 5.63 × 103to 12.46 × 103, 17.33 to 65 MPN/100 ml, 36 × 103to 147.5 × 103CFU/ml, respectively. There were no statistically significant relationships between the indicator organism concentration levels with temperature as well as pH value of seawater. A reverse correlation was found between the level of indicator bacteria and salinity of seawater samples. Also results revealed that the sediment texture influenced abundance of indicators bacteria in sediments. As the concentration levels of indicators bacteria were higher in muddy sediments compare with sandy ones.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Result conducted Bushehr coastal sediments constitute a reservoir of indicator bacteria, therefore, whole of the indicators determined were distinguished to be present in higher levels in sediments than in the overlying seawater. It was concluded that the concentration levels of microbial indicators decreased with depth in sediments. Except total coliform, the numbers of other bacteria including fecal coliform,Pseudomonas aeruginosaand HPC bacteria significantly declined in the depth between 10 and 15 cm.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran.
authors.forename: Vahid Noroozi
authors.initials: VN
authors.lastname: Karbasdehi
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran.|The Persian Gulf Marine Biotechnology Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Boostan 19 Alley, Imam Khomeini Street, Bushehr, Iran.|Systems Environmental Health, Oil, Gas and Energy Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran.
authors.forename: Sina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dobaradaran
authors.affiliation: The Persian Gulf Tropical Medicine Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran.
authors.forename: Iraj
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nabipour
authors.affiliation: The Persian Gulf Tropical Medicine Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran.
authors.forename: Afshin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ostovar
authors.affiliation: Environmental Health Department, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Hossein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Arfaeinia
authors.affiliation: The Persian Gulf Studies and Researches Center Marine Biotechnology Department, Persian Gulf University, Bushehr, Iran.
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vazirizadeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran.
authors.forename: Roghayeh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mirahmadi
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran.
authors.forename: Mozhgan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Keshtkar
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran.
authors.forename: Fatemeh Faraji
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Ghasemi
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran.
authors.forename: Farzaneh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Khalifei
keywords: Bushehr coastal; Indicator bacteria; Persian Gulf; Sediment texture