Bacteroidales diversity in ring-billed gulls (Laurus delawarensis) residing at Lake Michigan beaches.

ABSTRACT: This study investigated the occurrence and diversity of Bacteroidales fecal bacteria in gulls residing in the Great Lakes region. Members of this bacterial order have been widely employed as human and bovine host-specific markers of fecal pollution; however, few studies have focused on gulls, which can be a major source of fecal indicator bacteria and pathogens at beaches. We found a low but consistent occurrence of Bacteroidales in gulls at five beaches in three different counties spanning the Wisconsin shoreline of Lake Michigan. The percentages of gulls positive for Bacteroidales were 4 to 8% at beaches in the southern part of the state and 8 to 50% at beaches in the north. Sequencing of 931 clones from seven gull Bacteroidales 16S rRNA gene libraries revealed a large amount of diversit

SUBMITTER: Jeter SN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2655448 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature