Do aluminium concentrations in drinking water inhibit cultivation of Escherichia coli?

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 269-276
Author(s):  
J. Perez ◽  
D. Bérubé ◽  
S. A. Sattar ◽  
A. Unc ◽  
S. Springthorpe

In spite of reliance on Escherichia coli as an indicator of fecal pollution in water resources, including potable water, relatively little is known of its ecology and persistence. It is particularly important to be able to accurately detect E. coli presence and quantity in treated potable water because of potential human health effects from consumption of contaminated water. Presence of even a single E. coli in potable water can lead to significant consequences and costs for water utilities. Alum is frequently used as a coagulant in conventionally treated water, and is usually present in slight excess after treatment. We show here that E. coli can accumulate the Al3 +  ions present at natural levels in potable water and in so doing become uncultivable. Thus, E. coli, and perhaps a number of other bacteria, present in potable water could readily escape detection on laboratory culture media. Chelation with Tiron of the Al3 +  prior to exposure maintained the E. coli in a cultivable state. This phenomenon deserves further investigation in view of the reliance placed on E. coli as an indicator of fecal contamination.

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
pp. 931-941 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saumyadeb Dasgupta ◽  
Naga Siva Kumar Gunda ◽  
Sushanta K. Mitra

An innovative process of effective ‘fishing, trapping and killing’ ofEscherichia coli(E. coli) in contaminated water samples using paper strips is proposed here.


1992 ◽  
Vol 68 (05) ◽  
pp. 539-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Lenich ◽  
Ralph Pannell ◽  
Jack Henkin ◽  
Victor Gurewich

SummaryWe previously found that human pro-UK expressed in Escherichia coli is more active in fibrinolysis than recombinant human pro-UK obtained from mammalian cell culture media. To determine whether this difference is related to the lack of glycosylation of the E. coli product, we compared the activity of E. coli-derived pro-UK [(-)pro-UK] with that of a glycosylated pro-UK [(+)pro-UK] and of a mutant of pro-UK missing the glycosylation site at Asn-302 [(-) (302) pro-UK]. The latter two pro-UKs were obtained by expression of the human gene in a mammalian cell. The nonglycosylated pro-UKs were activated by plasmin more efficiently (≈2-fold) and were more active in clot lysis (1.5-fold) than the (+)pro-UK. Similarly, the nonglycosylated two-chain derivatives (UKs) were more active against plasminogen and were more rapidly inactivated by plasma inhibitors than the (+)UK.These findings indicate that glycosylation at Asn-302 influences the activity of pro-UK/UK and could be the major factor responsible for the enhanced activity of E. coli-derived pro-UK.


2006 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. SCOTT ◽  
P. McGEE ◽  
J. J. SHERIDAN ◽  
B. EARLEY ◽  
N. LEONARD

Escherichia coli O157:H7 is an important foodborne pathogen that can cause hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome. Cattle feces and fecally contaminated water are important in the transmission of this organism on the farm. In this study, the survival of E. coli O157:H7 in feces and water was compared following passage through the animal digestive tract or preparation in the laboratory. Feces were collected from steers before and after oral inoculation with a marked strain of E. coli O157:H7. Fecal samples collected before cattle inoculation were subsequently inoculated with the marked strain of E. coli O157:H7 prepared in the laboratory. Subsamples were taken from both animal and laboratory-inoculated feces to inoculate 5-liter volumes of water. E. coli O157:H7 in feces survived up to 97 days, and survival was not affected by the method used to prepare the inoculating strain. E. coli O157:H7 survived up to 109 days in water, and the bacteria collected from inoculated cattle were detected up to 10 weeks longer than the laboratory-prepared culture. This study suggests that pathogen survival in low-nutrient conditions may be enhanced by passage through the gastrointestinal tract.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Stephane Metsopkeng ◽  
Chretien Lontsi Djimeli ◽  
Olive Vivien Noah Ewoti ◽  
Lucienne Marlyse Moungang ◽  
Paul Alain Nana ◽  
...  

This study aimed to evaluate in microcosm condition, the survival of Aeromonas hydrophila and Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC), in the presence of M. oleifera aqueous seeds extract at concentrations varying from 1 to 40 g/L, and under 4 °C and 23 °C incubation temperature. It has been noted that cell abundances decrease gradually with the increasing in the seeds extract concentration. However, a marked cells regrowth was sometimes noted. In monospecies cell incubation condition, under 4 °C, the EPEC cells inhibition percentages (CIP) values varied from 52.12 to 99.84%. Those of A. hydrophila varied from 13.2 to 96%. The lowest CIPs were noted at the extract concentration 1g/L for EPEC and A. hydrophila. The highest CIP value was registered at 10 and 40 g/L for EPEC and at 15 g/L for A. hydrophila. Under 23 °C incubation, the EPEC CIPs values varied from 74.04 to 99.9% and those of A. hydrophila varied from 21.2 to 97.8%. For E. coli, the lowest and the highest CIP were recorded at the extract concentration 1g/L and 30 g/L, respectively. In bispecies cells incubation condition, the CIPs were relatively different. These results show the potential exploitation of M. oleifera extracts in the microbiological treatment of potable water.


2008 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 252-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
JIN KYUNG KIM ◽  
MARK A. HARRISON

Ice can be used to chill romaine lettuce and maintain relative humidity during transportation. Escherichia coli O157:H7 may contaminate water used for ice. The objective of this study was to determine the potential for E. coli O157:H7 contamination of romaine lettuce from either ice contaminated with the pathogen or by transfer from lettuce surfaces via melting ice. In experiment 1, lettuce was spot inoculated with E. coli O157:H7 and chilled with ice prepared from uncontaminated tap water. In experiment 2, water inoculated with this pathogen was frozen and used to ice lettuce. Three heads of lettuce were stacked in each container and stored at 4 or 20°C. After the ice melted, E. coli O157:H7 attachment to and recovery from the lettuce leaves were determined. For experiment 1, the population of E. coli O157:H7 attached to inoculated sites averaged 3.8 and 5.5 CFU/cm2 at 4 and 20°C, respectively. Most of the uninoculated sites became contaminated with the pathogen due to ice melt. For experiment 2, 3.5 to 3.8 log CFU E. coli O157:H7 per cm2 was attached to the top leaf on the first head. After rinsing with chlorinated water (200 μg/ml), E. coli O157:H7 remained on the surface of the top head (1.8 to 2.0 log CFU/cm2). There was no difference in numbers of E. coli O157:H7 recovered from each sampling site at 4 and 20°C. Results show that E. coli O157:H7 can be transferred onto other produce layers in shipping containers from melted ice made of contaminated water and from contaminated to uncontaminated leaf surfaces.


2010 ◽  
Vol 64 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fitria Rahmawati ◽  
Triana Kusumaningsih ◽  
Anita Hapsari ◽  
Aris Hastuti

AbstractTiO2 film was synthesized by means of the chemical bath deposition (CBD) method from TiCl4 as a precursor and surfactant cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) as a linking and assembling agent of the titanium hydroxide network on a graphite substrate. Ag and Cu were loaded on the TiO2 film by means of electrodeposition at various applied currents. Photoelectrochemical testing on the composite of Ag-TiO2/G and Cu-TiO2/G was used to define the composite for Escherichia coli-contaminated water disinfection. Disinfection efficiency and the rate of disinfection of E. coli-contaminated water with Ag-TiO2/G as a catalyst was higher than that observed for Cu-TiO2/G in all disinfection methods including photocatalysis (PC), electrocatalysis (EC), and photoelectrocatalysis (PEC). The highest rate constant was achieved by the PEC method using Ag-TiO2/G, k was 6.49 × 10−2 CFU mL−1 min−1. Effective disinfection times of 24 h (EDT24) and 48 h (EDT48) were achieved in all methods except the EC method using Cu-TiO2/G.


2011 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 254-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
HAMZAH M. AL-QADIRI ◽  
XIAONAN LU ◽  
NIVIN I. AL-ALAMI ◽  
BARBARA A. RASCO

Survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Campylobacter jejuni that were separately inoculated into bottled purified drinking water was investigated during storage at 22, 4, and −18°C for 5, 7, and 2 days, respectively. Two inoculation levels were used, 1 and 10 CFU/ml (102 and 103 CFU/100 ml). In samples inoculated with 102 CFU/100 ml, C. jejuni was not detectable (>2-log reduction) after storage under the conditions specified above. E. coli O157:H7 was detected on nonselective and selective media at log reductions of 1.08 to 1.25 after storage at 22°C, 1.19 to 1.56 after storage at 4°C, and 1.54 to 1.98 after storage at −18°C. When the higher inoculation level of 103 CFU/100 ml was used, C. jejuni was able to survive at 22 and 4°C, with 2.25- and 2.17-log reductions, respectively, observed on nonselective media. At these higher inoculation levels, E. coli O157:H7 was detectable at 22, 4, and −18°C, with log reductions of 0.76, 0.97, and 1.21, respectively, achieved on nonselective media. Additionally, E. coli O157:H7 showed significant differences in culturability (P < 0.05) on the nonselective and selective culture media under the different storage conditions, with storage at −18°C for 2 days being the treatment most inhibiting. The percentage of sublethal injury of E. coli O157:H7 ranged from ~33 to 75%, indicating that microbial examination of bottled water must be done carefully, otherwise false-negative results or underestimation of bacterial numbers could pose a health risk when low levels of pathogens are present.


1996 ◽  
Vol 42 (8) ◽  
pp. 862-866 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Juck ◽  
Jordan Ingram ◽  
Michèle Prévost ◽  
Josée Coallier ◽  
Charles Greer

A rapid and sensitive method for the detection of low levels of bacteria in potable water was developed. The fecal indicator bacterium Escherichia coli was used as the test organism in a filtration concentration–nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) protocol, combined with ethidium bromide visualization of PCR products. Two sets of primers were designed from the E. coli specific β-glucuronidase gene (uidA), the primary pair producing a 486-bp fragment that was used as template for the nested primer pair delineating a 186-bp fragment. This protocol can detect 1–10 bacterial cells/50 mL water sample within 6–8 h, in contrast to traditional culturing or Southern hybridization methods which require 2–3 days for results.Key words: nested PCR, sensitive, detection, potable water.


2000 ◽  
Vol 66 (11) ◽  
pp. 5024-5029 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis A. Fernández ◽  
Isabel Sola ◽  
Luis Enjuanes ◽  
Víctor de Lorenzo

ABSTRACT A simple method for the nontoxic, specific, and efficient secretion of active single-chain Fv antibodies (scFvs) into the supernatants ofEscherichia coli cultures is reported. The method is based on the well-characterized hemolysin transport system (Hly) of E. coli that specifically secretes the target protein from the bacterial cytoplasm into the extracellular medium without a periplasmic intermediate. The culture media that accumulate these Hly-secreted scFv's can be used in a variety of immunoassays without purification. In addition, these culture supernatants are stable over long periods of time and can be handled basically as immune sera.


2014 ◽  
Vol 77 (7) ◽  
pp. 1052-1061 ◽  
Author(s):  
ABEL B. EKIRI ◽  
DOUGLAS LANDBLOM ◽  
DAWN DOETKOTT ◽  
SUSAN OLET ◽  
WEILIN L. SHELVER ◽  
...  

Cattle are the main reservoirs for Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains. E. coli O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, O145, and O157 are among the STEC serogroups that cause severe foodborne illness and have been declared as adulterants by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service. The objectives of this study were (i) to estimate the prevalence of non-O157 STEC and E. coli O157 in naturally infected beef cows and in steer calves at postweaning, during finishing, and at slaughter and (ii) to test non-O157 STEC isolates for the presence of virulence genes stx1, stx2, eaeA, and ehlyA. Samples were collected from study animals during multiple sampling periods and included fecal grabs, rectal swabs, and midline sponge samples. Laboratory culture, PCR, and multiplex PCR were performed to recover and identify E. coli and the virulence genes. The prevalence of non-O157 STEC (serogroups O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, O113, and O145) fecal shedding ranged from 8% (4 of 48 samples) to 39% (15 of 38 samples) in cows and 2% (1 of 47 samples) to 38% (9 of 24 samples) in steer calves. The prevalence of E. coli O157 fecal shedding ranged from 0% (0 of 38 samples) to 52% (25 of 48 samples) in cows and 2% (1 of 47 samples) to 31% (15 of 48 samples) in steer calves. In steer calves, the prevalence of non-O157 STEC and E. coli O157 was highest at postweaning, at 16% (15 of 96 samples) and 23% (22 of 96 samples), respectively. Among the 208 non-O157 STEC isolates, 79% (164 isolates) had stx1, 79% (165 isolates) had stx2, and 58% (121 isolates) had both stx1 and stx2 genes. The percentage of non-O157 STEC isolates encoding the eaeA gene was low; of the 165 isolates tested, 8 (5%) were positive for eaeA and 135 (82%) were positive for ehlyA. Findings from this study provide further evidence of non-O157 STEC shedding in beef cows and steer calves particularly at the stage of postweaning and before entry into the feedlot.


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