Evidence for coexistence of distinct Escherichia coli populations in various aquatic environments and their survival in estuary water.

ABSTRACT: Escherichia coli, a commensal bacterium from the intestinal tracts of humans and vertebrate animals, has been used as one of two bacterial indicators of fecal contamination, along with intestinal enterococci, to monitor the microbiological quality of water. However, water environments are now recognized as a secondary habitat where some strains can survive. We investigated the survival of E. coli isolates collected from bodies of water in France exhibiting distinct profiles of contamination, defined according to the following criteria: vicinity of the point sources of contamination, land use, hydrology, and physicochemical characteristics of the receiving water. We selected 88 E. coli strains among a collection of 352 strains to carry out a microcosm experiment in filtered estuarine water

SUBMITTER: Berthe T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3719502 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature