Sediment composition influences spatial variation in the abundance of human pathogen indicator bacteria within an estuarine environment.

ABSTRACT: Faecal contamination of estuarine and coastal waters can pose a risk to human health, particularly in areas used for shellfish production or recreation. Routine microbiological water quality testing highlights areas of faecal indicator bacteria (FIB) contamination within the water column, but fails to consider the abundance of FIB in sediments, which under certain hydrodynamic conditions can become resuspended. Sediments can enhance the survival of FIB in estuarine environments, but the influence of sediment composition on the ecology and abundance of FIB is poorly understood. To determine the relationship between sediment composition (grain size and organic matter) and the abundance of pathogen indicator bacteria (PIB), sediments were collected from four transverse transects of the Conwy

SUBMITTER: Perkins TL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4232572 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature