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Research Commentary: Association of Zoonotic Pathogens with Fresh, Estuarine, and Marine Macroaggregates

  • Microbiology of Aquatic Systems
  • Published:
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Abstract

Aquatic macroaggregates (flocs ≥0.5 mm) provide an important mechanism for vertical flux of nutrients and organic matter in aquatic ecosystems, yet their role in the transport and fate of zoonotic pathogens is largely unknown. Terrestrial pathogens that enter coastal waters through contaminated freshwater runoff may be especially prone to flocculation due to fluid dynamics and electrochemical changes that occur where fresh and marine waters mix. In this study, laboratory experiments were conducted to evaluate whether zoonotic pathogens (Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Salmonella) and a virus surrogate (PP7) are associated with aquatic macroaggregates and whether pathogen aggregation is enhanced in saline waters. Targeted microorganisms showed increased association with macroaggregates in estuarine and marine waters, as compared with an ultrapure water control and natural freshwater. Enrichment factor estimations demonstrated that pathogens are 2–4 orders of magnitude more concentrated in aggregates than in the estuarine and marine water surrounding the aggregates. Pathogen incorporation into aquatic macroaggregates may influence their transmission to susceptible hosts through settling and subsequent accumulation in zones where aggregation is greatest, as well as via enhanced uptake by invertebrates that serve as prey for marine animals or as seafood for humans.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Timothy Doane for the water quality analyses; Ann Melli for the protozoal analyses; and Maha Abdulla, Terra Berardi, and Beatriz Aguilar for their assistance with the Salmonella analyses. Stefan Wuertz and Alexander Schriewer provided oversight and advice on quantitative molecular enumeration of the bacteriophage PP7. Andreas Bäumler’s laboratory kindly provided a culture of GFP-labeled Salmonella, and Robert Crawford provided valuable insight on the quantification of this bacterium. Funding for this research was provided by a National Science Foundation Ecology of Infectious Disease grant (Division of Ocean Sciences OCE-1065990) and by fellowship support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Oceans and Human Health Initiative (S08-67884).

This publication was prepared by K. Shapiro under NOAA Grant # NA10OAR4170060, California Sea Grant College Program Project # R/CONT-216, through NOAA’S National Sea Grant College Program, U.S. Dept. of Commerce. The statements, findings, conclusions and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the aforementioned organizations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA

    Karen Shapiro, Woutrina A. Miller & Patricia A. Conrad

  2. One Health Institute, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA

    Karen Shapiro, Woutrina A. Miller, Patricia A. Conrad & Jonna A. K. Mazet

  3. Department of Ocean Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA

    Mary W. Silver

  4. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA, USA

    Mitsunori Odagiri

  5. Bodega Marine Laboratory and Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, CA, USA

    John L. Largier

Authors
  1. Karen Shapiro
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  2. Woutrina A. Miller
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  3. Mary W. Silver
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  4. Mitsunori Odagiri
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  5. John L. Largier
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  6. Patricia A. Conrad
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  7. Jonna A. K. Mazet
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Correspondence to Karen Shapiro.

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Table S1

Water quality characteristics of the different water types used in aggregation experiments (DOCX 13 kb)

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Shapiro, K., Miller, W.A., Silver, M.W. et al. Research Commentary: Association of Zoonotic Pathogens with Fresh, Estuarine, and Marine Macroaggregates. Microb Ecol 65, 928–933 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-012-0147-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-012-0147-2

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