Fate of Escherichia coli and Escherichia coli O157 in soils and drainage water following cattle slurry application at 3 sites in southern Scotland

Abstract

Abstract. Slurry from farm animals may contaminate water supplies, rivers and bathing waters with faecal coliforms, such as Escherichia coli. Where animals harbour the O157 strain the hazard to human health is particularly high, but both the hazard level, and the low incidence and sporadic nature of the excretion of E. coli O157 make it difficult to study this strain under field conditions. The survival of total E. coli and of E. coli O157 were compared in the laboratory for two soils under controlled temperature and moisture. E. coli O157 die‐off rate was the same as or quicker than for total E. coli. This result meant that field experiments studying the fate of total E. coli should give a satisfactory evaluation of the risk of water contamination by the O157 strain. In four field experiments at three sites, slurry containing total E. coli numbers of 2.2 × 104 to 5.7 × 105 colony forming units per mL (c.f.u. mL–1) was applied to drained field plots. Field die‐off was faster than expected from laboratory experiments, especially in one experiment where two weeks dry weather followed application. In all but this experiment, the first drain flow events after slurry application led to very high E. coli concentrations in the drains (103 to 104 c.f.u. mL–1). E. coli O157 was present in the slurry used for two of the experiments (33 c.f.u. per 100 mL in each case). However the proportion of E.coli O157 was very low (about 1 in 105) and it was not detected in the drainage water. After the first week E. coli drainage water numbers decreased rapidly but they were 1–10 c.f.u. mL–1 for much of the sampling period after slurry application (1–3 months).

Fate ofMycobacterium aviumsubsp.paratuberculosisafter Application of Contaminated Dairy Cattle Manure to Agricultural Soils

“…Higher concentrations of total coliforms, fecal coliforms, and fecal streptococci were found in drainage waters from fields after manure application following periods of heavy rainfall (31). Similar results have been reported for E. coli (50,51). Soil water composition affects not only microbial movement but also the survival of microorganisms in soil, with considerable interspecies variation in the ability to withstand both high and low water content.…”

Animal Waste, Water Quality and Human Health

“…These, sub one km 2 effects can be the most important factors in determining sub-catchment transport of FIOs but would not be addressed where input data to GIS driven models using export coefficient remains at the one km 2 resolution. (3) The further development of existing process-based modelling approaches developed in New Zealand (Collins, 2004), Canada (Jamieson et al, 2004a(Jamieson et al, ,b, 2005a, Australia (Ferguson et al 2003a(Ferguson et al ,b, 2005, the United Kingdom (Vinten et al 2002(Vinten et al , 2004a and the USA (Bai & Lung 2005) is essential if model outputs are to inform the design of farm-scale (<1 km 2 ) BMPs. There are, however, many areas where basic information on microbial kinetics in different catchment compartments is inadequate.…”

“…2006). The screening tool is loosely based on research carried out at the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) (Vinten et al 2002, Ogden et al 2001, McGechan & Vinten 2003, McGechan & Vinten 2003, Vinten et al 2004a. It provides what is termed a "smart dynamic export coefficient" approach.…”

Stable isotope analysis (δ13C andδ15N) of soil nematodes from four feeding groups

“…3°12′W). For full site and soil details, refer to Vinten, Vivian & Howard (1992), Vinten et al (2002). The conventional treatment (i.e., with the use of tillage, synthetic fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides) and the organic treatment (i.e., no fertiliser, herbicides or pesticides, but with the addition of 10 t ha −1 of farmyard manure and under-sown with clover) were established in 2007 (Aruotore, 2009).…”