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Long-term and short-term variations of Escherichia coli population structure in tropical coastal waters

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Abstract

In this study, monthly and daily samplings were carried out at Klang, an eutrophic estuary, and at Port Dickson, an oligotrophic coastal water system. Escherichia coli concentration was measured via culture method, and the phylogenetic structure of E. coli population was via Clermont typing. Average E. coli concentration at Klang was higher than Port Dickson (t = 2.97, df = 10, p < 0.05), and daily sampling did not show any apparent temporal variation at both sites. At Klang, salinity was inversely correlated with coliform (R 2 = 0.216, df = 25, p < 0.05), suggesting that river flow was a mode of transport for coliform. Although E. coli concentration was higher at the eutrophic site, E. coli population structure at both Klang and Port Dickson were similar and showed neither long-term nor short-term variations. This study showed the predominance of commensal groups A and B1 in tropical coastal waters of Peninsular Malaysia.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by University of Malaya (PS 141-2008A, UM.C/625/1/HIR/050).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Microbial Ecology, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    K. W. Tan & C. W. Lee

  2. Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    C. W. Lee

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  1. K. W. Tan
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Correspondence to C. W. Lee.

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Tan, K.W., Lee, C.W. Long-term and short-term variations of Escherichia coli population structure in tropical coastal waters. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 11, 711–718 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-013-0367-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-013-0367-0

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