Persistence of fecal indicator bacteria and associated genetic markers from wastewater treatment plant effluents in freshwater microcosms.

ABSTRACT: Limited information exists on the environmental persistence of genetic markers for fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) in treated wastewaters. Here, the decay rate constants of culturable cells and genetic markers for four diverse groups of FIBs, such as enterococci, Clostridium, Escherichia coli, and Bacteroides, were investigated in freshwater microcosms seeded with disinfected and non-disinfected secondary-treated wastewaters. Decay rate constants of genetic markers and culturable cells varied significantly among the different FIB groups. Water temperatures (winter vs. fall/spring/summer) significantly affected the decay of all genetic marker and cell types; however, genetic marker decay were not found to be significantly different in disinfected (chlorination/ultraviolet) and non-disinfecte

SUBMITTER: Chern EC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9000909 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature