Risk of Gastrointestinal Disease Associated with Exposure to Pathogens in the Sediments of the Lower Passaic River

Abstract

High levels of pathogenic microorganisms have been documented previously in waters of the Lower Passaic River in northern New Jersey. The purpose of this study was to characterize the microbial contamination of river sediments near combined sewer overflows (CSOs), a known source of pathogens. Concentrations of fecal coliform, total coliform, fecal Streptococcus, fecal Enterococcus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Giardia lamblia, and Cryptosporidium parvum organisms were measured in 16 samples from three mudflat locations along the Lower Passaic River, as well as from an upstream location. Selected samples were also analyzed for antibiotic resistance. All of the samples contained high concentrations of total coliform, fecal coliform, fecal Streptococcus, and fecal Enterococcus organisms. Analysis of isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli from several samples indicated that each strain was resistant to at least one antibiotic typically used in clinical settings. Eight of 16 samples contained Giardia, and one sample contained Cryptosporidium. With these sampling data, a quantitative microbial risk assessment was conducted to evaluate the probability of infection or illness resulting from incidental ingestion of contaminated sediments over a 1-year period. Three potential exposure scenarios were considered: visitor, recreator, and homeless person. Single-event risk was first evaluated for the three individual exposure scenarios; overall risk was then determined over a 1-year period using Monte Carlo techniques to characterize uncertainty.

Microbial risk assessment for recreational use of the Chicago Area Waterway System

“…These results are similar to other studies that have been performed to determine the risk of GI disease associated with pathogens in other waterway systems in the United States that found wet weather conditions to increase risk (Donovan et al 2008). Wet weather and CSOs contribute elevated levels of bacteria, viruses and protozoa to receiving waters (Rijal et al 2009).…”

Extraintestinal Escherichia coli Carrying Virulence Genes in Coastal Marine Sediments

“…Health protection and monitoring programs analyze the contamination of aquatic ecosystems (20) but, due to technical and practical difficulties, the search of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) is routinely preferred to the systematic search of all potential pathogens to assess the sanitary risk of a water body (17). Recreational seawaters are, for instance, classified on the basis of the concentration of Escherichia coli and Enterococcus spp.…”

Eukaryotic Viruses in Wastewater Samples from the United States

“…The majority of treated wastewater, as well as untreated sewage, drains into the marine environment (1) and has the potential to threaten environmental (e.g., nutrients and chemicals) (45) and public (e.g., pathogen exposure via swimming and seafood consumption) (1,24,28,29,33,44,57,63) health. Currently, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandates the use of bacterial indicators such as fecal coliforms and enterococci to assess water quality (75).…”