ISSN:
1573-5125
Keywords:
enteric viruses
;
bacteriophage indicators
;
marine environment
;
shellfish
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
Abstract The summer occurrence of human enteroviruses and rotaviruses in the bacteriologically clean area of the Ria de Aveiro, a coastal marine lagoon, prompted the question of the assessment of the virological quality of recreational waters and shellfish raising beds. Enteroviruses were present in surface water at a density of 3 pfu 10 l−1 and were accumulated in sediments and, especially, in cockles where they reached concentrations 2 to 310log units greater. Rotaviruses were detected at one10log unit below the density of enteroviruses in sediments and cockles and were not detected in water. Four bacteriophage systems were assayed as indicators of human enteric viruses: somatic coliphages ofE.coli C, sexual and sexual-RNA coliphages plated onSalmonella WG49 and phages againstBacteroides fragilis HSP40. The results obtained from 2 lagoon stations sampled in summer, autumn and winter showed that the four systems failed to indicate the presence of enteroviruses and rotaviruses in water, sediment and shellfish samples. The absence of phages ofB. fragilis HSP40 in all types of samples taken from the lagoon, but not from the residual waters of the treatment station, suggests that they may suffer a strong negative pressure in this ecosystem as their proportion to the coliphages in the cockles deviated strongly from the ratio of 1∶100 to 1∶1000 observed at the sewage outfall. In fact, no correlation was observed between these phages and enteric viruses or coliphages. Alternatively, it is possible that the importance of diffuse faecal pollution and the interference of faecal pollutants of animal origin, including migratory sea birds which are abundant in winter, can alter the proportions of the faecal bacteriophages beyond recognition. It is apparent that bacteriophage monitoring of the health risk linked to the occurrence of viruses in the marine environment is not yet fully resolved, what may leave viral quality assessment dependent on direct detection of human enteric virus.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02084240
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