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. 2019 Oct 2;83(4):e00005-19. doi: 10.1128/MMBR.00005-19

TABLE 3.

Summary of factors affecting persistence of various indicators and pathogens in beach sanda

Reference Organism type Organism(s) Observations Spike source Sand source Analytical method
106 FIB E. coli Persisted over 40 days at 4, 10, or 20°C. Environmental isolate Wisconsin (Lake Winnebago) Colisure
103 E. coli Sand supports growth and provides a shield from UV radiation. Laboratory-grown strain Great Lakes (Bradford Beach, Lake Michigan) Membrane filtration on mTEC
132 E. coli, enterococci Biotic interactions are important determinants of survival. Environmental isolates Florida (Hollywood Beach) Membrane filtration on mTEC (E. coli) and mEI (enterococci)
133 E. coli, enterococci Moisture was a dominant factor for E. coli survival, but not for enterococci. Laboratory-grown strains California (Santa Monica Beach) Membrane filtration on mTEC (E. coli) and mEI (enterococci)
131 E. coli, enterococci Protozoan predation and viral lysis are not important contributors to decay, but competition with indigenous bacterial populations is. Laboratory-grown strains Hawaii (Sand Island and Kailua Beach) Membrane filtration on mTEC (E. coli) and mE-EIA (enterococci)
136 C. perfringens Greater survival in higher moisture content. Laboratory-grown strain Florida (Hollywood Beach) Plating on mCP agar
134 E. coli, enterococci, Enterococcus by qPCR E. coli less persistent than enterococci. qPCR signal more persistent than for culturable enterococci. Primary treated sewage California (Lovers Points) Membrane filtration on mTEC (E. coli) and mEI (enterococci) and by qPCR (Entero1a)
130 E. coli, enterococci Decay rates similar to those of bacterial pathogens. Raw sewage Great Lakes (Lake Superior, Duluth Boat Club Beach) Membrane filtration on mTEC (E. coli) and mEI (enterococci) and by qPCR (Entero1a)
Enterococcus by qPCR Decay rates dissimilar to those of bacterial pathogens.
128 Enterococci, Enterococcus by qPCR Wetting of sand resulted in faster decay than with dry controls. Seagull feces California (Cowell Beach, Santa Cruz) Membrane filtration on mEI (enterococci) and by qPCR (Entero1a)
135 E. coli, enterococci, Enterococcus by qPCR, C. perfringens C. perfringens persisted longer than E. coli and enterococci. Raw sewage Hawaii (Kualoa Beach) Membrane filtration on mTEC (E. coli), mEI (enterococci) and mCP (C. perfringens), enterococci by qPCR (Entero1a).
110 E. coli Survival was greater in finer-grain sand and at lower temperatures. Environmental isolate Canada (Burlington and Marie Curtis Beaches) Membrane filtration on mTEC
129 E. coli, E. coli by qPCR All FIB were detected for the duration of the experiment (∼2 mo). Seagull feces, raw sewage Great Lakes (Bradford Beach, Lake Michigan) Membrane filtration on mTEC and by qPCR (uidA)
Enterococci, Enterococcus by qPCR Membrane filtration on mEI (enterococci) and by qPCR (Entero1a)
134 Coliphage Somatic, F+ Somatic coliphage more persistent than F+. Primary treated sewage California (Lovers Points) Double agar layer
137 Bacterial pathogens E. coli O157:H7 Grain size did not affect survival. Environmental isolate Great Britain (Porth Dafarch, Traeth Llydan, Porth Trecastell) Plating on CT-SMAC agar
136 Staphylococcus aureus Decay pattern similar to that of C. perfringens. Environmental isolate Florida (Hollywood Beach) Plating on S110 agar and confirmation on MSA
134 Salmonella spp. Culturable pathogens more persistent than bacterial and viral indicators, but opposite was the case for the qPCR signal. Primary treated sewage California (Lovers Points) Enrichment on TSB/Rappaport (MSRV) medium followed by streaking on XLD agar; confirmation on LIA/TSIA agar and by PCR (invA); also by qPCR (ttrA-ttrC)
Campylobacter spp. Enrichment in Bolton broth followed by streaking on modified Karmali agar and confirmation by PCR (16S rRNA); also by qPCR (16S rRNA)
130 Campylobacter jejuni Decayed more rapidly than FIB and MST markers. Laboratory-grown strains Great Lakes (Lake Superior, Duluth Boat Club Beach) qPCR (16S rRNA)
Methicillin-resistant S. aureus Concns increased at 28% moisture. qPCR (mecA)
S. enterica serovar Typhimurium Greater decay at lower moisture content (14%). qPCR (ttrRSBCA)
Shigella flexneri qPCR (ipaH)
134 MST markers Human associated (HF183) Persistence similar to that of Entero1a. Primary treated sewage California (Lovers Points) qPCR
130 General (AllBac) Concns increased at 28% moisture. Raw sewage Great Lakes (Lake Superior, Duluth Boat Club Beach) qPCR
Human associated (HF183) Decay rates similar to those of bacterial pathogens.
128 Seagull associated (Cat) Greater decay than enterococci in dry sands, but similar decay in wetted sands. Seagull feces California (Cowell Beach, Santa Cruz) qPCR
129 Human associated (Lachno2, BacHum), seagull associated (Gull2) All MST markers decayed more rapidly than FIB (culture or qPCR). Seagull feces, raw sewage Great Lakes (Bradford Beach, Lake Michigan) qPCR
138 Seagull associated (Gull2) Remained detectable for the duration of the study (28 days). Laboratory-grown strain Florida (Inner Cabrillo Beach) qPCR
a

TSB, tryptic soy broth; XLD, xylose lysine deoxycholate; LIA, lysine iron agar; TSIA, triple-sugar iron agar; mTEC, membrane thermotolerant E. coli; mEI, membrane Enterococcus indoxyl-β-d-glucoside agar; mE-EIA, membrane Enterococcus esculin iron agar; mCP, membrane Clostridium perfringens; CT-SMAC agar, cefixime-tellurite-sorbitol MacConkey agar; S110 agar, Staphylococcus agar no. 110; MSA, mannitol salt agar.