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Temporal and Spatial Distribution Patterns of Potentially Pathogenic Vibrio spp. at Recreational Beaches of the German North Sea

  • Environmental Microbiology
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Abstract

The number of reported Vibrio-related wound infections associated with recreational bathing in Northern Europe has increased within the last decades. In order to study the health risk from potentially pathogenic Vibrio spp. in the central Wadden Sea, the seasonal and spatial distribution of Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio alginolyticus and Vibrio cholerae were investigated at ten recreational beaches in this area over a 2-year period. V. alginolyticus and V. parahaemolyticus were found to be omnipresent all year round in the study area, while V. vulnificus occurrence was restricted to summer months in the estuaries of the rivers Ems and Weser. Multiple linear regression models revealed that water temperature is the most important determinant of Vibrio spp. occurrence in the area. Differentiated regression models showed a species-specific response to water temperature and revealed a particularly strong effect of even minor temperature increases on the probability of detecting V. vulnificus in summer. In sediments, Vibrio spp. concentrations were up to three orders of magnitude higher than in water. Also, V. alginolyticus and V. parahaemolyticus were found to be less susceptible towards winter temperatures in the benthic environment than in the water, indicating an important role of sediments for Vibrio ecology. While only a very small percentage of tested V. parahaemolyticus proved to be potentially pathogenic, the presence of V. vulnificus during the summer months should be regarded with care.

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Acknowledgments

This study was conducted within the German research programme KLIWAS, financed by the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban affairs. Work at the NLGA was further financially supported by the federal state of Lower Saxony. PCR analyses were performed throughout the German zoonose research network VibrioNet, financed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The National Meterological Service supported our study with provision of weather data. The salinity chart (Fig. 1) was provided by Dr. Uwe Brockmann and Monika Schütt (University of Hamburg). Without the invaluable help of our colleagues at the local health authorities of the administrative districts Aurich, Leer and Cuxhaven, the study would not have been possible. Holger Weigelt and Julia Bachtin are greatly acknowledged for technical assistance with Vibrio and grain size analyses, respectively. Further thanks go to Enoma O. Omoregie for proofreading the manuscript and to two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments and suggestions for improvement.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department G3—Bio-Chemistry, Ecotoxicology, Federal Institute of Hydrology, Am Mainzer Tor 1, 56068, Koblenz, Germany

    Simone I. Böer & Nicole Brennholt

  2. Governmental Institute for Public Health of Lower Saxony, Lüchtenburger Weg 24, 26603, Aurich, Germany

    Ernst-August Heinemeyer & Katrin Luden

  3. Biological Institute Helgoland, Division of Shelf Seas Systems Ecology, Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Kurpromenade, 27498, Helgoland, Germany

    René Erler & Gunnar Gerdts

  4. Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency, Bernhard-Nocht-Str. 78, 20359, Hamburg, Germany

    Frank Janssen

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  1. Simone I. Böer
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Böer, S.I., Heinemeyer, EA., Luden, K. et al. Temporal and Spatial Distribution Patterns of Potentially Pathogenic Vibrio spp. at Recreational Beaches of the German North Sea. Microb Ecol 65, 1052–1067 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-013-0221-4

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