[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

RE: Swimmers should take E. coli warnings seriously

Hi Elizabeth,

We were also curious if fish harbor E. coli and if so, where they might come from. So, last year we examined this more closely in the Duluth-Superior harbor. Several studies have shown that fish in aquaculture systems harbor fecal coliforms and E. coli, but wild fish have rarely been examined. Some of our findings were:

"Escherichia coli and fecal coliform bacteria were isolated from five benthic and four pelagic fish species. Although fecal coliforms were isolated from each fish species, they were only isolated from 66% and 72% of the individual benthic and pelagic fish, respectively. While 42% of the fecal coliforms from benthic fish were E. coli, only 4% of from pelagic fish were E. coli."

The manuscript (by Hansen, Clark, Ishii, Sadowsky and Hicks) containing this data and also information about the sources of these fish E. coli was submitted to the Journal of Great Lakes Research this next week.

In two other studies recently published, we investigated the sources of E. coli in beach sand, sediment, water, and periphyton at several beaches near Duluth, MN. Although we found similar E. coli concentrations in beach sand at one beach at different distances from the swash zone, there were some other interesting findings:

"E. coli counts increased during the summer and early fall (July to September). In spring (April and May), E. coli likely originated from wastewater, while the percentage of E. coli from waterfowl increased and became a major source of E. coli at this beach from early summer to fall (June to October)." ... Our "results indicate that beach sand and sediment serve as temporal sources and sinks of waterfowl and human-derived E. coli that contribute to the closure of this beach."

Ishii, S., D. L. Hansen, R. E. Hicks, and M. J. Sadowsky. 2007. Beach sand and sediments are temporal sinks and sources of Escherichia coli in Lake Superior. Environmental Science and Technology 41:2203-2209.

In the other paper about perpiphyton E. coli, we found:

"waterfowl being the major source of E. coli in these periphyton communities. The primary potential sources for most E. coli (57% to 81%) in overlying waters at these beaches were waterfowl, periphyton, and wastewater." ... "E. coli attached to periphyton can detach and contribute to fecal coliform numbers measured in coastal waters."

Ksoll, W. B, S. Ishii, M. J. Sadowsky, and R. E. Hicks. 2007. Presence and sources of fecal coliform bacteria in epilithic periphyton communities of Lake Superior. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 73:3771-3778.

I hope this is helpful to you and others.


Best regards,


Randall Hicks

ps - as you have probably figured out by now, mammals and birds are both warm-blooded animal groups

--On Wednesday, July 18, 2007 8:58 AM -0400 "Alm, Elizabeth Wheeler" <alm1ew@cmich.edu> wrote:

I have a question for the group.  Articles like this and others say
that E. coli is found in warm-blooded animals. Birds are not
"warm-blooded animals" are they? yet we know that some birds,
particularly in the US carry E. coli (although David Gordon from
Australia says that birds have very low levels of E. coli, Australian
birds I presume). Also reptiles carry E. coli and I'm pretty sure
amphibians do too. Do fish?  I haven't ever looked myself, has anyone
of the group?
I've been taking transects this summer at beaches along the west
coast of Lake Michigan and I can have 0 CFU/mL E. coli in the beach
water, 60 CFU/mL in the subsurface sand directly below where the
water came from, and 1050 CFU/mL E. coli in the swash sand just a
meter up beach from the sub and water samples...  and these are dry
weather days.
When I read this article I am still thinking that re-suspension of E.
coli from the beach face is as likely as washing of pet waste and
duck droppings into the bay.  Any thoughts???
Elizabeth Alm, Ph.D.
Professor, Microbiology
Central Michigan University

________________________________

From: owner-beachnet@great-lakes.net on behalf of Shannon Briggs
Sent: Wed 7/18/2007 8:35 AM
To: beachnet@great-lakes.net
Subject: Swimmers should take E. coli warnings seriously



please see editorial in local paper
http://www.record-eagle.com/2007/jul/17edit.htm

07/17/2007
Editorial
Swimmers should take E. coli warnings seriously

The issue:
E. coli warnings

Our view:
It's a serious issue

See related story:
Advisory warns of E. coli at area beaches - July 11, 2007

Send a letter to the editor

Swimmers should take E. coli warnings seriously

Get used to it.

If we have more big rainstorms, we're probably going to see more E.
coli warnings this summer like those issued last week for West and
East Bay beaches.

Local health officials changed their protocol this year for putting
out the advisories. In past years, they issued alerts after the
second day of high counts because the counts often went down within
24 hours after a storm. This year, public warnings are issued on the
first day.

High E. coli counts are an indicator of unhealthy water and the need
for individuals, local governments and state agencies to ratchet up
monitoring, public education efforts and policies that safeguard
Grand Traverse Bay and the people who use it.

Here are some things we can do:

* Take the warnings seriously.

A high E. coli count is an indicator of fecal matter in the water.
Warnings are issued if more than 300 colonies of E. coli are found in
100 milliliters of water, or about a tenth of a quart. The bacteria
is found naturally in the digestive systems of warm-blooded animals,
including humans. High counts mean that full-body contact with
contaminated water can cause stomach aches, diarrhea, vomiting or
other illnesses. Older adults, young children and people with
compromised immune systems are especially vulnerable.

* Understand the underlying cause.

E. coli warnings in this region rarely have something to do with
sewage spills. Most alerts come after heavy rains. Storm drains fill,
overflow and flush duck droppings and animal waste as well as
fertilizer and other debris into the bay. Such was the case with last
week's warnings. Sections of beach closest to storm drains had the
highest readings, said Sarah U'Ren, project coordinator for the
Watershed Center Grand Traverse, which has the water at local beaches
tested every Monday.

* Do something to protect yourself and others.

If you're thinking about going swimming after a heavy rainstorm,
think again. Where do you want to go? Know where the storm drains
are. Clinch Park Beach is not near a storm drain and rarely has a
high E. coli count, U'Ren said.

* Educate yourself and support public education efforts.

Clean up pet waste and dispose of it in trash bins. Don't discharge
boat and recreational vehicle sewage into the water or onto the
ground where it can get in the groundwater. Report those who do. It's
illegal for a very good reason - your health. The Department of
Environmental Quality has a Web site -
www.deq.state.mi.us/beach/public/default.aspx - that lists public
beaches that are monitored by county. It also gives a history of test
results.


Copyright 1998-2007 Traverse City Record-Eagle


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
beachnet is hosted by the Great Lakes Information Network:
http://www.great-lakes.net <http://www.great-lakes.net/>
To unsubscribe from this list: send mail to majordomo@great-lakes.net
with the command 'unsubscribe beachnet' in the body of your message.
No quotes or subject line are required.
About : http://www.great-lakes.net/lists/beachnet/beachnet.info
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
beachnet is hosted by the Great Lakes Information Network:
http://www.great-lakes.net
To unsubscribe from this list: send mail to majordomo@great-lakes.net
with the command 'unsubscribe beachnet' in the body of your message.
No quotes or subject line are required.
About : http://www.great-lakes.net/lists/beachnet/beachnet.info
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *



____________________________________

Randall E. Hicks, Professor
Director, UMD Center for Freshwater Research and Policy

Department of Biology
1035 Kirby Drive, SSB 207
University of Minnesota Duluth
Duluth, MN   55812

Tel:  218-726-8438
Fax:  218-726-8142
Email:  rhicks@d.umn.edu
Lab Web Site:  http://www.d.umn.edu/~rhicks/lab/Home.html
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
beachnet is hosted by the Great Lakes Information Network:
http://www.great-lakes.net
To unsubscribe from this list: send mail to majordomo@great-lakes.net
with the command 'unsubscribe beachnet' in the body of your message. No
quotes or subject line are required.
About : http://www.great-lakes.net/lists/beachnet/beachnet.info
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *