Enterococcus was selected by US EPA as a Gram-positive indicator microorganism for groundwater fecal contamination. It was recently reported that enterococcal surface protein (esp) was more prevalent in Enterococcus from human sources than in Enterococcus from nonhuman sources and esp could potentially be used as a source tracking tool for fecal contamination (Scott et al., 2005). In this research, we performed laboratory column transport experiments to investigate the transport of Enterococcus faecium within saturated quartz sands. Particularly, we used a wild type strain (E1162) and a mutant (E1162Δesp) to examine the influence of esp on the transport behavior of E. faecium. Our results showed that esp could significantly enhance the attachment of E. faecium cells onto the surface of silica sands and thus lower the mobility of E. faecium within sand packs. Cell surface properties (e.g., zeta potential) were determined and the extended Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (XDLVO) theory was applied to explain the effects of esp on the retention of E. faecium. Overall, our results suggested that E. faecium strains with esp could display lower mobility within saturated sand packs than E. faecium strains without esp. The disparity in the transport behavior of E. faecium with and without esp could limit the effectiveness of esp as a source tracking tool within the groundwater system.

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