Spatial and temporal dynamics and potential pathogenicity of fecal coliforms in coastal shallow groundwater wells

Autor: Martina Soumastre, Juan Piccini, Lorena Rodríguez-Gallego, Leticia González, Laura Rodríguez-Graña, Danilo Calliari, Claudia Piccini
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. 194
ISSN: 1573-2959
0167-6369
Popis: Access to water through shallow groundwater wells is a common practice in coastal settlements. This, coupled with a lack of planning for wastewater disposal promotes fecal contamination of groundwater and poses a threat to human health. Here, the spatial and temporal dynamics of groundwater fecal contamination was evaluated during summer and winter (2013 and 2014) in a coastal protected area having a high touristic relevance (Cabo Polonio, Uruguay). Fecal coliforms (FC) abundance in groundwater was significantly higher during summer, related to an influx of ~ 1000 tourists per day. A significant spatial autocorrelation was found in 2014, when the abundance of FC in a well was influenced by its three nearest wells (Moran and Geary tests). The applied statistical models (mixed models) indicated that total phosphorus and organic matter were the variables significantly explaining FC abundance. The risk for human health was estimated using groundwater-extracted DNA and qPCR of genes encoding for E. coli virulence factors (stx1, stx2, and eae). Potential Shiga toxin-producing enteropathogenic and enterohemorrhagic pathotypes were detected, even at FC abundances ≤ 1 CFU (100 mL
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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