Coliphage prevalence in high school septic effluent and associated ground water

At the present time, somatic and male-specific coliphage and human enterovirus groups are being considered as indicators of possible pathogenic human enteric virus contamination from fecal contamination. A primary attribute for any indicator of fecal contamination is its prevalence at the source and in associated ground water. It must be consistently found in the source material at concentrations that are measurable with available techniques. Over a period of ten months, male-specific and somatic coliphage ranged from 7000 to 4,000,000 PFU/L in the effluent from a multi-user septic-tank. Unlike the values determined for septic-tank effluent, coliphage concentrations measured in ground water over this same period only varied by five-fold. Coliphage concentration in ground water under the down-gradient edge of the drainfield contained 1000 PFU/L. This concentration decreased at −1 log₁₀/5 m during 17.4 m of ground-water transport. From these data, coliphage concentrations in septic-tank effluent seem sufficient to allow their use as indicators of fecal contamination in ground water.     

Distribution and Fate of Escherichia coli in Lake Michigan Following Contamination with Urban Stormwater and Combined Sewer Overflows

Escherichia coli distribution and persistence in nearshore Lake Michigan were assessed following heavy rains and sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) and combined sewer overflow (CSO) events over a 5-year period, including an 18-day period following 25.4 cm of rainfall in which intensive studies were conducted following multiple CSO and SSO events. E. coli levels in the Milwaukee estuary and harbor following SSO and CSO events ranged from 10⁴ to nearly 10⁵ CFU/100 mL, which were significantly higher (p ≤ 0.05) than levels following rainfall alone. Sites outside of the breakwall but within the contamination plume (e.g., within 2 km of the harbor) were an order of magnitude lower. Locations 2–5 km from the harbor ranged from below detection limits, of < 1 to 5 CFU/100 mL. E. coli levels corrected for dilution based on specific conductivity measurements were lower than what would be expected for loss due to dilution alone, suggesting a combination of die-off and dilution, were responsible for the rapid disappearance of these organisms outside of the harbor. E. coli and fecal coliforms measured concurrently demonstrated that fecal coliforms could be recovered longer than E. coli in the open waters of the lake. E. coli isolated directly from sewage treatment plant influent were found to have a marked increase in antibiotic resistance traits for ten antibiotics commonly used in the human population compared with isolates from two animal sources of fecal pollution. However, E. coli obtained from sewage impacted water (n = 2,513) and from stormwater impacted water (n = 1,465) collected the previous year when there were no sewage overflows, were found to have no significant difference (p < 0.05) in the frequency of resistance when comparing the two conditions. E. coli survival characteristics and population dynamics are most likely influenced by multiple factors in complex systems such as the watershed/estuarine/lake environments of the Great Lakes.     

Disinfection of wastewaters: high-energy electron vs gamma irradiation

A study was undertaken to examine the sensitivity of a wastewater population of coliphage, total coliforms and total flora present in raw sewage and secondary effluent after irradiating with similar doses delivered by a high-energy electron beam and y -radiation. The electron beam study was conducted on a large scale at the Virginia Key Wastewater Treatment Plant, Miami, Fla. The facility is equipped with a 1.5 MeV, 50 mA electron accelerator, with a wastewater flow rate of 8 ls⁻¹. Concurrent y-radiation studies were conducted at laboratory scale using a 5000 Ci, ⁶⁰Co y -source. Three logs reduction of all three test organisms were observed at an electron beam dose of 500 krads, while at least four logs reduction were observed at the same dose utilizing the y-source.     

Assessment of the prevalence of Streptococcus uberis in dairy cow feces and implications for herd health

Streptococcus uberis is a major causative agent of bovine mastitis worldwide, negatively affecting both milk production and animal welfare. Mammary infections result from environmental reservoirs, with cattle themselves required to propagate the infection cycle. Two longitudinal studies were performed to investigate the prevalence of Streptococcus uberis within feces and to evaluate factors which may affect gastrointestinal carriage. Bacterial detection was confirmed using a PCR-based method directed against sub0888 that detected S. uberis at an analytical sensitivity of 12 cfu/g of bovine feces. The first study sampled an entire herd at 8-wk intervals, over a 10-mo period and identified that maintenance of S. uberis within the dairy cow environment was due to a high proportion of animals shedding S. uberis and not due to a low number of “super-shedding” cows within the herd. Seasonality influenced detection rates, with detection levels significantly higher for housed cattle compared with those at pasture. Multilevel logistic regression was used to identify significant factors that affected S. uberis detection; these included parity, stage of lactation, and body condition score. An additional study involved screening a smaller cohort of cows housed over a 4-wk period and identified an increased probability of detection if cows were housed in loose straw yards, compared those in straw cubicles. This study highlighted several cow and management related factors that affect both detection of S. uberis and future infection risks.     

Effects of urbanisation on the quality of the urban runoff for Delhi watershed

The current paper is the first study to report quality of urban runoff, focusing on the diffuse sources contributing to pollutant loads in the Delhi watershed. The quality of stormwater runoff from the urban watershed of Delhi was evaluated to assess the effects of different land-use practices on pollutant concentrations. Six sites within the Delhi watershed with different land-use characteristics were selected. The microbial quality of the urban runoff from sub-catchments of Delhi watershed is very poor with Faecal Coliform (FC) levels varying between 6 and 7 log orders. There was a good correlation between the chemical and biological quality of urban runoff with land-use characteristics such as impervious land and population density. Except for chemical oxygen demand all other parameters in urban runoff were found to exceed the effluent discharge standards set by the National River Conservation Directorate (NRCD), India. The public health risks associated with exposure to urban runoff via different routes have also been qualitatively estimated.     

The Impact of the Microbiome on Resistance to Cancer Treatment with Chemotherapeutic Agents and Immunotherapy

Understanding the mechanisms of resistance to therapy in human cancer cells has become a multifaceted limiting factor to achieving optimal cures in cancer patients. Besides genetic and epigenetic alterations, enhanced DNA damage repair activity, deregulation of cell death, overexpression of transmembrane transporters, and complex interactions within the tumor microenvironment, other mechanisms of cancer treatment resistance have been recently proposed. In this review, we will summarize the preclinical and clinical studies highlighting the critical role of the microbiome in the efficacy of cancer treatment, concerning mainly chemotherapy and immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors. In addition to involvement in drug metabolism and immune surveillance, the production of microbiota-derived metabolites might represent the link between gut/intratumoral bacteria and response to anticancer therapies. Importantly, an emerging trend of using microbiota modulation by probiotics and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) to overcome cancer treatment resistance will be also discussed.     

拉萨地区牦牛屠宰过程中的微生物污染

为探明拉萨地区牦牛胴体屠宰过程中的微生物污染程度,明确微生物关键控制点,对拉萨地区某具有代表 性的规范屠宰企业屠宰前车间空气中的微生物、各屠宰工艺环节牦牛胴体表面以及人员用具的菌落总数和大肠菌群 数量进行测定。结果表明：屠宰前车间微生物污染严重;随着剥皮和去内脏工艺的进行,牦牛胴体的菌落总数和大 肠菌群数量显著增加;斧劈四分体后胴体的菌落总数和大肠菌群数量均显著高于剥皮和去内脏后;牦牛屠宰过程中 微生物的主要来源是垫板和斧头。     

乳糖法与LST法检测大肠菌群的差异性研究

目的:为了解乳糖法与LST法检测大肠菌群的差异,帮助产品标准的更改。方法:乳糖法与LST法分别对大肠杆菌标准菌液和8类食品进行检测。结果:对大肠杆菌标准菌液的检测,乳糖法和LST法在MPN95%可信限内都是准确的、可靠的。LST法比乳糖法的平均检出率高出143%。对8类食品的检测,2种方法总体上存在显著性差异,LST法比乳糖法的平均不合格率高82.41%。就个体来讲,当食品中含有较多大肠菌群时,两者的结果有显著差异;当样品中含有极少或者不含有大肠菌群时,两者的结果没有显著差异。结论:LST法比乳糖法的检出率高,修订产品标准时,对易被大肠菌群污染的产品应依据LST法的结果重新修订标准值。     

肉品中菌落总数和大肠菌群快速检测试纸片的研究

对肉品中菌落总数和大肠菌群快速检测试纸片进行了研究.选择中速定性滤纸为材料,分别浸入经不同特殊处理(不同浓度的TTC、琼脂、NaCl)的培养基中,40℃下烘干制得试纸片;将所制得的菌悬液涂布于成份不同的试纸片上,于32℃,培养20h(试纸片法),或涂布于平板计数琼脂上,于32℃,培养48h(国标法),然后计数,将二者得到的数据进行比较.结果表明:试纸片法与国标法具有很高的相似性.在100ml培养基中,TTC的浓度为0.02‰时试纸片的显色情况最好,生成的红色菌落数目最多.菌落生长受琼脂浓度的影响,当琼脂的浓度高于或低于0.15%时,细菌生长速度逐渐减慢.NaCl的浓度在0.4%时菌落生长呈现最好势态.     

现场电解制次氯酸钠在污水处理厂出水消毒的应用研究

随着污水厂出水排放标准日益提高,对排水中粪大肠菌群的控制也越来越严格。现场电解制次氯酸钠发生系统是一种较为理想的环境友好型氯消毒技术,能够有效杀灭城镇污水处理厂出水中的粪大肠杆菌。因原水水质不同,次氯酸钠的杀菌效果会有差异。次氯酸钠对原水中的氨氮有一定的去除作用,但是有可能氧化原水中残留的有机氮,从而使得氨氮含量重新升高。现场连续投加试验中,反应池次氯酸钠浓度为1．2mg／L,出水中的粪大肠菌群始终稳定达到GB18918-2002一级A标准的要求,且其他水质指标（如氨氮、COD等）良好。