Assessing Risk of E. coli Resuspension from Intertidal Estuarine Sediments: Implications for Water Quality.

ABSTRACT: Estuarine sediments are a reservoir for faecal bacteria, such as E. coli, where they reside at greater concentrations and for longer periods than in the overlying water. Faecal bacteria in sediments do not usually pose significant risk to human health until resuspended into the water column, where transmission routes to humans are facilitated. The erosion resistance and corresponding E. coli loading of intertidal estuarine sediments was monitored in two Scottish estuaries to identify sediments that posed a risk of resuspending large amounts of E. coli. In addition, models were constructed in an attempt to identify sediment characteristics leading to higher erosion resistance. Sediments that exhibited low erosion resistance and a high E. coli loading occurred in the upper- and mid-reaches o

SUBMITTER: Wyness AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6765901 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature