Bacterial pathogens are a leading cause of waterborne disease, and may result in gastrointestinal outbreaks worldwide. Inhabitants of the Bassaseachic Falls National Park in Chihuahua, Mexico show seasonal gastroenteritis problems. This aim of this study was to detect enteropathogenic microorganisms responsible for diarrheal outbreaks in this area. In 2013, 49 surface water samples from 13 selected sampling sites along the Basaseachi waterfall and its main rivers, were collected during the spring, summer, autumn, and winter seasons. Fecal and total coliform counts were determined using standard methods; the AutoScan-4 system was used for identification of isolates and the antibiotic resistance profile by challenging each organism using 21 antibiotics. Significant differences among seasons were detected, where autumn samples resulted in the highest total (p < 0.05) and fecal (p < 0.001) coliform counts, whereas the lowest total coliform counts were recorded in spring. Significant differences between sampling sites were observed, where samples from sites 6, 8, and 11 had the highest total coliform counts (p < 0.009), whereas samples from site 9 exhibited the lowest one. From the microbiological analysis, 33 bacterial isolates from 13 different sites and four sampling seasons were selected; 53% of isolates were resistant to at least one antibiotic, and 15% exhibited a multidrug resistance (MDB) phenotype. MDB were identified as Klebsiella oxytoca (two out of four identified isolates), Escherichia coli (2/7), and Enterobacter cloacae (1/3). In addition, some water-borne microorganisms exhibited resistance to cefazoline, cefuroxime, ampicillin, and ampicillin-sulbactam. The presence of these microorganisms near rural settlements suggests that wastewater is the contamination source, providing one possible transmission mechanism for diarrheal outbreaks.

In areas lacking potable water treatment, drinking contaminated water may represent a public health threat. In addition to enteropathogenic bacteria and parasites, fecal contamination in water environments is associated with the transmission of enteric viruses and other causal agents of infectious disease. Rotavirus and norovirus are the main enteric viral agents responsible for diarrheic outbreaks. The aim of the present study was to detect seasonal variation of rotavirus and norovirus in the surface water at Bassaseachic Falls National Park during 2013. Rivers and streams within and nearby this park were sampled once in each season during 2013. Viral concentration was carried out by a handmade filtration equipment, using a commercial electropositive membrane coupled with the virus absortion elution technique (VIRADEL©). Detection of rotavirus and norovirus was performed by SYBR Green reverse transcription-real time polymerase chain reaction (SYBR GREEN© RT-qPCR) analyses. Norovirus genogroup II was detected in samples collected in June and October 2013. In the case of rotavirus, genogroup A was detected in March and June. The presence of rotavirus and norovirus was related to viral acute diarrhea in children less than five years of age, who were inhabiting the sampled areas. This may indicates that the contaminated water was potentially a risk factor for regional diarrheic outbreaks.

Background Xanthomonas spp. causes bacterial spot disease, which reduces quality and yield of pepper crops in Mexico. Identification of phytopathogen species is necessary to implement more effective control strategies. Objective The aim of this study was to isolate and identify infecting Xanthomonas species in South Central Chihuahua pepper-producing areas. Methods Diseased plants were collected from 30 cultivation lots and bacteria were isolated from damaged tissues. Potential causative agents were isolated, identified, and characterized by biochemical and molecular analysis. Pathogenicity tests from each isolate were then performed on 30-d-old pepper seedlings, exposing five leaves to 10 µL of 1 × 108 CFU/mL bacterial suspensions of each isolate, using sterile distilled water as a control. Disease severity was determined after 10 d by calculating leaf damage percentage. Furthermore, we evaluated the susceptibility of the highest bacterial spot severity-causing isolates (13 isolates) to copper sulphate (CuS), copper gluconate (CuG), copper oxychloride + oxytetracycline hydrochloride (Cu + Ox), gentamicin + oxytetracycline hydrochloride (Gen + Ox), and gentamicin sulphate (GenS). Copper-resistance genes (copLAB) were detected by PCR analysis among isolates. Results Thirty-seven foliage isolates were identified as Xanthomonas euvesicatoria (14%), which were associated with bacterial spot disease in jalapeño pepper. Tested Xanthomonas isolates were resistant to Cu-based compounds, but susceptible to Cu + Ox. All isolates were susceptible to Gen + Ox and GenS. CopLAB genes were detected in all but one strain. Conclusions X. euvesicatoria (formally X. perforans) may be considered as an emerging pathogen of bacterial spot pepper in Mexico. Among disease management strategies, alternatives to copper should be taken into consideration.