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  1. Article ; Online: Classification of sub-populations for quantitative risk assessment based on awareness and perception: A cross-sectional population study of private well users in Ontario.

    Lavallee, Sarah / Hynds, Paul D / Brown, R Stephen / Majury, Anna

    The Science of the total environment

    2022  Volume 857, Issue Pt 3, Page(s) 159677

    Abstract: Private well users in Ontario are responsible for protective actions, including source maintenance, treatment, and submitting samples for laboratory testing. However, low participation rates are reported, thus constituting a public health concern, as ... ...

    Abstract Private well users in Ontario are responsible for protective actions, including source maintenance, treatment, and submitting samples for laboratory testing. However, low participation rates are reported, thus constituting a public health concern, as risk mitigation behaviours can directly reduce exposure to waterborne pathogens. The current study examined the combined effects of socio-demographic profile, experience(s), and "risk domains" (i.e., awareness, attitudes, risk perceptions and beliefs) on behaviours, and subsequently classified private well users in Ontario based on cognitive factors. A province-wide online survey (n = 1228) was employed to quantify Ontario well owners' awareness, perceptions, and behaviours in relation to their personal groundwater supply and local contamination sources. A scoring protocol for four risk domains was developed. Two-step cluster analysis was used to classify respondents based on individual risk domain scores. Logistic regression was employed to identify key variables associated with cluster membership (i.e., profile analysis). Overall, 1140 survey respondents were included for analyses. Three distinct clusters were identified based on two risk domains; groundwater awareness and source risk perception. Profile analyses indicate "low awareness and source risk perception" (Low A/SRP) members were more likely male, while "low awareness and moderate source risk perception" (Low A/Mod SRP) members were more likely female and bottled water users. Well users characterised as "high awareness and source risk perception" (High A/SRP) were more likely to report higher educational attainment and previous well water testing. Findings illustrate that socio-cognitive clusters and their components (i.e., demographics, awareness, attitudes, perceptions, experiences, and protective actions) are distinct based on the likelihood, frequency, and magnitude of waterborne pathogen exposures (i.e., risk-based). Risk-based clustering, when incorporated into quantitative microbial risk assessment, enables the development of effective risk management and communication initiatives that are demographically focused and tailored to specific sub-groups.
    MeSH term(s) Male ; Female ; Humans ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Ontario ; Groundwater ; Risk Assessment ; Perception
    Language English
    Publishing date 2022-10-24
    Publishing country Netherlands
    Document type Journal Article
    ZDB-ID 121506-1
    ISSN 1879-1026 ; 0048-9697
    ISSN (online) 1879-1026
    ISSN 0048-9697
    DOI 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159677
    Database MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE

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  2. Article ; Online: Integrating consumer risk perception and awareness with simulation-based quantitative microbial risk assessment using a coupled systems framework: A case study of private groundwater users in Ontario.

    Latchmore, Tessa / Lavallee, Sarah / Hynds, Paul D / Brown, R Stephen / Majury, Anna

    Journal of environmental management

    2023  Volume 331, Page(s) 117112

    Abstract: Private well users in Ontario are responsible for ensuring the potability of their own private drinking water source through protective actions (i.e., water treatment, well maintenance, and regular water quality testing). In the absence of regulation and ...

    Abstract Private well users in Ontario are responsible for ensuring the potability of their own private drinking water source through protective actions (i.e., water treatment, well maintenance, and regular water quality testing). In the absence of regulation and limited surveillance, quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) represents the most practical and robust approach to estimating the human health burden attributable to private wells. For an increasingly accurate estimation, QMRA of private well water should be represented by a coupled model, which includes both the socio-cognitive and physical aspects of private well water contamination and microbial exposure. The objective of the current study was to determine levels of waterborne exposure via well water consumption among three sub-groups (i.e., clusters) of private well users in Ontario and quantify the risk of waterborne acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI) attributed to Giardia, shiga-toxin producing E. coli (STEC) and norovirus from private drinking water sources in Ontario. Baseline simulations were utilized to explore the effect of varying socio-cognitive scenarios on model inputs (i.e., increased awareness, protective actions, aging population). The current study uses a large spatio-temporal groundwater quality dataset and cross-sectional province-wide survey to create socio-cognitive-specific QMRA simulations to estimate the risk of waterborne AGI attributed to three enteric pathogens in private drinking waters source in Ontario. Findings suggest significant differences in the level of exposure among sub-groups of private well users. Private well users within Cluster 3 are characterised by higher levels of exposure and annual illness attributable to STEC, Giardia and norovirus than Clusters 1 and 2. Provincial incidence rates of 520.9 (1522 illness per year), 532.1 (2211 illness per year) and 605.5 (5345 illness per year) cases/100,000 private well users per year were predicted for private well users associated with Clusters 1 through 3. Established models will enable development of necessary tools tailored to specific groups of at-risk well users, allowing for preventative public health management of private groundwater sources.
    MeSH term(s) Humans ; Aged ; Ontario ; Drinking Water ; Escherichia coli ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Groundwater ; Risk Assessment ; Water Microbiology ; Perception ; Water Supply
    Chemical Substances Drinking Water
    Language English
    Publishing date 2023-01-19
    Publishing country England
    Document type Journal Article
    ZDB-ID 184882-3
    ISSN 1095-8630 ; 0301-4797
    ISSN (online) 1095-8630
    ISSN 0301-4797
    DOI 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.117112
    Database MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE

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  3. Article: Estimating the duration and overlap of Escherichia coli contamination events in private groundwater supplies for quantitative risk assessment using a multiannual (2010–2017) provincial dataset

    Latchmore, Tessa / Hynds, Paul D. / Stephen Brown, R. / McDermott, Kevin / Majury, Anna

    Elsevier Ltd Environmental pollution. 2022 Sept. 15, v. 309

    2022  

    Abstract: Approximately 1.6 million individuals in Ontario rely on private water wells. Private well water quality in Ontario remains the responsibility of the well owner, and due to the absence of regulation, quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) likely ... ...

    Abstract Approximately 1.6 million individuals in Ontario rely on private water wells. Private well water quality in Ontario remains the responsibility of the well owner, and due to the absence of regulation, quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) likely represents the most effective approach to estimating and mitigating waterborne infection risk(s) from these supplies. Annual contamination duration (i.e., contaminated days per annum) represents a central input for waterborne QMRA; however, it is typically based on laboratory studies or meta-analyses, thus representing an important limitation for risk assessment, as groundwater mesocosms cannot accurately replicate subsurface conditions. The present study sought to address these limitations using a large spatio-temporal in-situ groundwater quality dataset (>700,000 samples) to evaluate aquifer-specific E. coli die-off rates (CFU/100 mL per day decline), subsequent contamination sequence duration(s) and the likelihood of overlapping contamination events. Findings indicate median E. coli die-off rates of 0.38 CFU/100 mL per day and 0.64 CFU/100 mL per day, for private wells located in unconsolidated and consolidated aquifers, respectlvely, with mean calculated contamination sequence durations of 18 days (unconsolidated) and 11 days (consolidated). Study findings support and permit development of increasingly evidence-based, regionally- and temporally-specific quantitative waterborne risk assessment.
    Keywords Escherichia coli ; data collection ; decline ; die-off ; meta-analysis ; microbiological risk assessment ; pollution ; quantitative risk assessment ; risk ; water quality ; waterborne diseases ; well water ; Ontario
    Language English
    Dates of publication 2022-0915
    Publishing place Elsevier Ltd
    Document type Article
    ZDB-ID 280652-6
    ISSN 1873-6424 ; 0013-9327 ; 0269-7491
    ISSN (online) 1873-6424
    ISSN 0013-9327 ; 0269-7491
    DOI 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119784
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  4. Article: An assessment of total coliforms and associated thresholds as water quality indicators using a large Ontario private drinking water well dataset

    Petculescu, Ioan / Hynds, Paul / Brown, R. Stephen / McDermott, Kevin / Majury, Anna

    Elsevier B.V. Science of the total environment. 2022 Nov. 10, v. 846

    2022  

    Abstract: A spatiotemporally static total coliform (TC) concentration threshold of five colony-forming units (CFU) per 100 mL is used in Ontario to determine whether well water is of acceptable quality for drinking. The current study sought to assess the role of ... ...

    Abstract A spatiotemporally static total coliform (TC) concentration threshold of five colony-forming units (CFU) per 100 mL is used in Ontario to determine whether well water is of acceptable quality for drinking. The current study sought to assess the role of TC and associated thresholds as microbial water quality parameters as the authors hypothesized that, since static TC thresholds are not evidence-based, they may not be appropriate for all well water consumers. A dataset containing the microbial water quality information of 795,023 samples (including TC and Escherichia coli (E. coli) counts) collected from 253,136 private wells in Ontario between 2010 and 2017 was used. To accurately assess the relationship between E. coli and non-E. coli TC, “non-E. coli coliform” (NEC) counts were calculated from microbial water quality data and replaced TC throughout analyses. This study analysed NEC and E. coli detection rates to determine differences between the two, and NEC:E. coli concentration ratios to assess links, if any, between NEC and E. coli contamination. Study findings suggest that spatiotemporally static NEC thresholds are not appropriate because seasonal, spatial, and well-specific susceptibility factors are associated with distinct contamination trends. For example, NEC detection rates exhibited bimodality, with summer (29.4 %) and autumn (30.2 %) detection rates being significantly higher (p < 0.05) than winter (21.9 %) and spring (19.9 %). E. coli detection rates also varied seasonally, but peaked in summer rather than autumn. As such, it is recommended that these factors be considered during the development of private well water guidelines and that static thresholds be avoided. Furthermore, the authors propose that, because NEC:E. coli concentration ratios change in the context of the aforementioned factors, they may have a role in inferring groundwater contamination mechanisms, with high ratios being associated with generalized aquifer contamination mechanisms and low ratios with localized contamination mechanisms.
    Keywords Escherichia coli ; autumn ; coliform bacteria ; data collection ; environment ; groundwater contamination ; spring ; summer ; water quality ; well water ; winter ; Ontario
    Language English
    Dates of publication 2022-1110
    Publishing place Elsevier B.V.
    Document type Article
    ZDB-ID 121506-1
    ISSN 1879-1026 ; 0048-9697
    ISSN (online) 1879-1026
    ISSN 0048-9697
    DOI 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157478
    Database NAL-Catalogue (AGRICOLA)

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  5. Article ; Online: Assessing the risk of acute gastrointestinal illness attributable to three enteric pathogens from contaminated private water wells in Ontario.

    Latchmore, Tessa / Hynds, Paul D / Brown, R Stephen / McDermott, Kevin / Majury, Anna

    International journal of hygiene and environmental health

    2022  Volume 248, Page(s) 114077

    Abstract: The province of Ontario compromises the largest groundwater reliant population in Canada serving approximately 1.6 million individuals. Unlike municipal water systems, private well water is not required to meet water quality regulatory standards and thus ...

    Abstract The province of Ontario compromises the largest groundwater reliant population in Canada serving approximately 1.6 million individuals. Unlike municipal water systems, private well water is not required to meet water quality regulatory standards and thus source maintenance, treatment and testing remains the responsibility of the well owner. Infections associated with private drinking water systems are rarely documented given their typically sporadic nature, thus the human health effects (e.g., acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI)) on consumers remains relatively unknown, representing a significant gap in water safety management. The current study sought to quantify the risk of waterborne AGI attributed to Giardia, shiga-toxin producing E. coli (STEC) and norovirus from private drinking water sources in Ontario using Monte Carlo simulation-based quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA). Findings suggest that consumption of contaminated private well water in Ontario is responsible for approximately 4823 AGI cases annually, with 3464 (71.8%) and 1359 (28.1%) AGI cases predicted to occur in consolidated and unconsolidated aquifers, respectively. By pathogen, waterborne AGI was attributed to norovirus (62%; 2991/4823), Giardia (24.6%; 1186/4823) and STEC (13.4%; 646/4823). The developed QMRA framework was used to assess the potential health impacts of partial and total well water treatment system failure. In the unlikely event of total treatment failure, total mean annual illnesses are predicted to almost double (4217 to 7064 cases per year), highlighting the importance of effective water treatment and comprehensive testing programs in reducing infectious health risks attributable to private well water in Ontario. Study findings indicate significant underreporting of waterborne AGI rates at the provincial level likely biasing public health interventions and programs that are effective in monitoring and minimizing the health risk associated with private well water.
    MeSH term(s) Humans ; Ontario/epidemiology ; Water Wells ; Drinking Water ; Escherichia coli ; Groundwater ; Giardiasis ; Risk Assessment ; Water Microbiology ; Water Supply
    Chemical Substances Drinking Water
    Language English
    Publishing date 2022-11-30
    Publishing country Germany
    Document type Journal Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
    ZDB-ID 2009176-X
    ISSN 1618-131X ; 1438-4639
    ISSN (online) 1618-131X
    ISSN 1438-4639
    DOI 10.1016/j.ijheh.2022.114077
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  6. Article ; Online: Estimating the duration and overlap of Escherichia coli contamination events in private groundwater supplies for quantitative risk assessment using a multiannual (2010-2017) provincial dataset.

    Latchmore, Tessa / Hynds, Paul D / Stephen Brown, R / McDermott, Kevin / Majury, Anna

    Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)

    2022  Volume 309, Page(s) 119784

    Abstract: Approximately 1.6 million individuals in Ontario rely on private water wells. Private well water quality in Ontario remains the responsibility of the well owner, and due to the absence of regulation, quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) likely ... ...

    Abstract Approximately 1.6 million individuals in Ontario rely on private water wells. Private well water quality in Ontario remains the responsibility of the well owner, and due to the absence of regulation, quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) likely represents the most effective approach to estimating and mitigating waterborne infection risk(s) from these supplies. Annual contamination duration (i.e., contaminated days per annum) represents a central input for waterborne QMRA; however, it is typically based on laboratory studies or meta-analyses, thus representing an important limitation for risk assessment, as groundwater mesocosms cannot accurately replicate subsurface conditions. The present study sought to address these limitations using a large spatio-temporal in-situ groundwater quality dataset (>700,000 samples) to evaluate aquifer-specific E. coli die-off rates (CFU/100 mL per day decline), subsequent contamination sequence duration(s) and the likelihood of overlapping contamination events. Findings indicate median E. coli die-off rates of 0.38 CFU/100 mL per day and 0.64 CFU/100 mL per day, for private wells located in unconsolidated and consolidated aquifers, respectlvely, with mean calculated contamination sequence durations of 18 days (unconsolidated) and 11 days (consolidated). Study findings support and permit development of increasingly evidence-based, regionally- and temporally-specific quantitative waterborne risk assessment.
    MeSH term(s) Escherichia coli ; Groundwater ; Humans ; Ontario ; Risk Assessment ; Water Quality ; Water Supply
    Language English
    Publishing date 2022-07-14
    Publishing country England
    Document type Journal Article
    ZDB-ID 280652-6
    ISSN 1873-6424 ; 0013-9327 ; 0269-7491
    ISSN (online) 1873-6424
    ISSN 0013-9327 ; 0269-7491
    DOI 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119784
    Database MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE

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  7. Article ; Online: An assessment of total coliforms and associated thresholds as water quality indicators using a large Ontario private drinking water well dataset.

    Petculescu, Ioan / Hynds, Paul / Brown, R Stephen / McDermott, Kevin / Majury, Anna

    The Science of the total environment

    2022  Volume 846, Page(s) 157478

    Abstract: A spatiotemporally static total coliform (TC) concentration threshold of five colony-forming units (CFU) per 100 mL is used in Ontario to determine whether well water is of acceptable quality for drinking. The current study sought to assess the role of ... ...

    Abstract A spatiotemporally static total coliform (TC) concentration threshold of five colony-forming units (CFU) per 100 mL is used in Ontario to determine whether well water is of acceptable quality for drinking. The current study sought to assess the role of TC and associated thresholds as microbial water quality parameters as the authors hypothesized that, since static TC thresholds are not evidence-based, they may not be appropriate for all well water consumers. A dataset containing the microbial water quality information of 795,023 samples (including TC and Escherichia coli (E. coli) counts) collected from 253,136 private wells in Ontario between 2010 and 2017 was used. To accurately assess the relationship between E. coli and non-E. coli TC, "non-E. coli coliform" (NEC) counts were calculated from microbial water quality data and replaced TC throughout analyses. This study analysed NEC and E. coli detection rates to determine differences between the two, and NEC:E. coli concentration ratios to assess links, if any, between NEC and E. coli contamination. Study findings suggest that spatiotemporally static NEC thresholds are not appropriate because seasonal, spatial, and well-specific susceptibility factors are associated with distinct contamination trends. For example, NEC detection rates exhibited bimodality, with summer (29.4 %) and autumn (30.2 %) detection rates being significantly higher (p < 0.05) than winter (21.9 %) and spring (19.9 %). E. coli detection rates also varied seasonally, but peaked in summer rather than autumn. As such, it is recommended that these factors be considered during the development of private well water guidelines and that static thresholds be avoided. Furthermore, the authors propose that, because NEC:E. coli concentration ratios change in the context of the aforementioned factors, they may have a role in inferring groundwater contamination mechanisms, with high ratios being associated with generalized aquifer contamination mechanisms and low ratios with localized contamination mechanisms.
    MeSH term(s) Drinking Water ; Escherichia coli ; Groundwater ; Ontario ; Quality Indicators, Health Care ; Water Microbiology ; Water Quality ; Water Supply ; Water Wells
    Chemical Substances Drinking Water
    Language English
    Publishing date 2022-07-20
    Publishing country Netherlands
    Document type Journal Article
    ZDB-ID 121506-1
    ISSN 1879-1026 ; 0048-9697
    ISSN (online) 1879-1026
    ISSN 0048-9697
    DOI 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157478
    Database MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE

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  8. Article ; Online: Salmonella Vitkin Outbreak Associated with Bearded Dragons, Canada and United States, 2020-2022.

    Paphitis, Katherine / Habrun, Caroline A / Stapleton, G Sean / Reid, Alexandra / Lee, Christina / Majury, Anna / Murphy, Allana / McClinchey, Heather / Corbeil, Antoine / Kearney, Ashley / Benedict, Katharine / Tolar, Beth / Forrest, Russell O

    Emerging infectious diseases

    2024  Volume 30, Issue 2, Page(s) 225–233

    Abstract: We identified 2 cases of Salmonella enterica serovar Vitkin infection linked by whole-genome sequencing in infants in Ontario, Canada, during 2022. Both households of the infants reported having bearded dragons as pets. The outbreak strain was also ... ...

    Abstract We identified 2 cases of Salmonella enterica serovar Vitkin infection linked by whole-genome sequencing in infants in Ontario, Canada, during 2022. Both households of the infants reported having bearded dragons as pets. The outbreak strain was also isolated from an environmental sample collected from a patient's bearded dragon enclosure. Twelve cases were detected in the United States, and onset dates occurred during March 2021-September 2022 (isolates related to isolates from Canada within 0-9 allele differences by core-genome multilocus sequence typing). Most US patients (66.7%) were <1 year of age, and most (72.7%) had reported bearded dragon exposure. Hospitalization was reported for 5 (38.5%) of 13 patients. Traceback of bearded dragons identified at least 1 potential common supplier in Southeast Asia. Sharing rare serovar information and whole-genome sequencing data between Canada and the United States can assist in timely identification of outbreaks, including those that might not be detected through routine surveillance.
    MeSH term(s) Infant ; Animals ; Humans ; United States/epidemiology ; Salmonella ; Ontario ; Alleles ; Disease Outbreaks ; Hospitalization ; Lizards
    Language English
    Publishing date 2024-01-25
    Publishing country United States
    Document type Journal Article ; Review
    ZDB-ID 1380686-5
    ISSN 1080-6059 ; 1080-6040
    ISSN (online) 1080-6059
    ISSN 1080-6040
    DOI 10.3201/eid3002.230963
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  9. Article: Environmental adaptation of E. coli within private groundwater sources in southeastern Ontario: Implications for groundwater quality monitoring and human health

    Tropea, Erica / Hynds, Paul / McDermott, Kevin / Brown, R. Stephen / Majury, Anna

    Environmental pollution. 2021 Sept. 15, v. 285

    2021  

    Abstract: Groundwater quality monitoring typically employs testing for the presence of E. coli as a fecal indicator of recent ingress of human or animal fecal material. The efficacy of fecal indicator organisms is based on the primary criteria that the organism ... ...

    Abstract Groundwater quality monitoring typically employs testing for the presence of E. coli as a fecal indicator of recent ingress of human or animal fecal material. The efficacy of fecal indicator organisms is based on the primary criteria that the organism does not reproduce in the aquatic environment. However, recent studies have reported that E. coli may proliferate (i.e., has adapted to) in the external environment, including soil and surface water. To date, the presence of environmentally-adapted E. coli in groundwater has not been examined. The current study employed Clermont phylotyping and the presence of six accessory genes to identify the likely presence of adapted E. coli in private groundwater sources. E. coli isolates (n = 325) from 76 contaminated private water wells located in a southeastern Ontario watershed were compared with geographically analogous human and animal fecal E. coli isolates (n = 234). Cryptic clades III-V, a well-described environmentally-adapted Escherichia population, were identified in three separate groundwater wells, one of which exclusively comprised this adapted population. Dimensionality reduction (via Principal Component Analysis) was used to develop an “E. coli adaptation model”, comprising three distinct components (groundwater, animal feces, human feces) and suggests adaptation occurs frequently in the groundwater environment. Model findings indicate that 23/76 (30.3%) wells had an entirely adapted community. Accordingly, the use of E. coli as a FIO returned a false positive result in these instances, while an additional 23/76 (30.3%) wells exhibited some evidence of adaptation (i.e., not all isolates were adapted) representing an over-estimate of the magnitude (concentration) of contamination. Study findings highlight the need to further characterize environmentally-adapted E. coli in the groundwater environment and the potential implications with respect to water quality policy, legislation and determinants of human health risk both regionally and internationally.
    Keywords Escherichia coli ; aquatic environment ; feces ; groundwater ; human health ; humans ; issues and policy ; laws and regulations ; models ; phylogeny ; pollution ; principal component analysis ; risk ; soil ; surface water ; water quality ; watersheds ; Ontario
    Language English
    Dates of publication 2021-0915
    Publishing place Elsevier Ltd
    Document type Article
    Note NAL-AP-2-clean
    ZDB-ID 280652-6
    ISSN 1873-6424 ; 0013-9327 ; 0269-7491
    ISSN (online) 1873-6424
    ISSN 0013-9327 ; 0269-7491
    DOI 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117263
    Database NAL-Catalogue (AGRICOLA)

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  10. Article ; Online: Environmental adaptation of E. coli within private groundwater sources in southeastern Ontario: Implications for groundwater quality monitoring and human health.

    Tropea, Erica / Hynds, Paul / McDermott, Kevin / Brown, R Stephen / Majury, Anna

    Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)

    2021  Volume 285, Page(s) 117263

    Abstract: Groundwater quality monitoring typically employs testing for the presence of E. coli as a fecal indicator of recent ingress of human or animal fecal material. The efficacy of fecal indicator organisms is based on the primary criteria that the organism ... ...

    Abstract Groundwater quality monitoring typically employs testing for the presence of E. coli as a fecal indicator of recent ingress of human or animal fecal material. The efficacy of fecal indicator organisms is based on the primary criteria that the organism does not reproduce in the aquatic environment. However, recent studies have reported that E. coli may proliferate (i.e., has adapted to) in the external environment, including soil and surface water. To date, the presence of environmentally-adapted E. coli in groundwater has not been examined. The current study employed Clermont phylotyping and the presence of six accessory genes to identify the likely presence of adapted E. coli in private groundwater sources. E. coli isolates (n = 325) from 76 contaminated private water wells located in a southeastern Ontario watershed were compared with geographically analogous human and animal fecal E. coli isolates (n = 234). Cryptic clades III-V, a well-described environmentally-adapted Escherichia population, were identified in three separate groundwater wells, one of which exclusively comprised this adapted population. Dimensionality reduction (via Principal Component Analysis) was used to develop an "E. coli adaptation model", comprising three distinct components (groundwater, animal feces, human feces) and suggests adaptation occurs frequently in the groundwater environment. Model findings indicate that 23/76 (30.3%) wells had an entirely adapted community. Accordingly, the use of E. coli as a FIO returned a false positive result in these instances, while an additional 23/76 (30.3%) wells exhibited some evidence of adaptation (i.e., not all isolates were adapted) representing an over-estimate of the magnitude (concentration) of contamination. Study findings highlight the need to further characterize environmentally-adapted E. coli in the groundwater environment and the potential implications with respect to water quality policy, legislation and determinants of human health risk both regionally and internationally.
    MeSH term(s) Animals ; Environmental Monitoring ; Escherichia coli ; Feces ; Groundwater ; Humans ; Ontario ; Water Microbiology ; Water Wells
    Language English
    Publishing date 2021-04-28
    Publishing country England
    Document type Journal Article
    ZDB-ID 280652-6
    ISSN 1873-6424 ; 0013-9327 ; 0269-7491
    ISSN (online) 1873-6424
    ISSN 0013-9327 ; 0269-7491
    DOI 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117263
    Database MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE

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