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Tracking faecal microorganisms using the qPCR method in a typical urban catchment in China

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Abstract

Faecal microorganisms represent a key threat to human health. Potential origins of faecal microbial contamination in a typical urban-representative micro-scale were evaluated. The quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) method was used in this study. The Bacteroidetes is selected as the indicative microorganism in runoff samples that are collected during four representative stormwater events in north China. The principal component analysis (PCA) method indicated the distribution feature of the environmental factors. The largest contributor is dog, followed by bird and human to the faecal pollution in stormwater runoff. The output of human and dog faecal pollutants in response to the first flush effect of nonpoint source pollution while the transmit time of bird faecal pollutant is relatively longer. In addition, the number of antecedent drying days represents the key factor for dog faecal pollution, while human faecal pollution is impacted by more factors. The results of this study will provide sound evidence for the tracking and management of nonpoint source faecal pollution in urban catchment areas.

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Acknowledgements

The authors want to thank the logistics department of Beijing Normal University for their support during monitoring and other basic data collection.

Funding

This research was funded by the Fund for Innovative Research Group of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51721093), the State Key Program of National Natural Science of China (No. 41530635), and the Interdisciplinary Research Funds of Beijing Normal University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, People’s Republic of China

    Lei Chen, Xiaoyue Zhang, Xiaosha Zhi, Ying Dai, Pu Zhang, Yuechen Xiao & Zhenyao Shen

  2. Satellite Environment Centre, Ministry of Environmental Protection, Beijing, 100094, People’s Republic of China

    Xiaosha Zhi

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  1. Lei Chen
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  2. Xiaoyue Zhang
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Correspondence to Zhenyao Shen.

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Chen, L., Zhang, X., Zhi, X. et al. Tracking faecal microorganisms using the qPCR method in a typical urban catchment in China. Environ Monit Assess 192, 158 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-020-8130-8

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