Englebert Erik T, McDermott Colleen, Kleinheinz Gregory T
Department of Biology and Microbiology, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, 800 Algoma Boulevard, Oshkosh, WI 54901, USA.
Sci Total Environ. 2008 Oct 1;404(1):10-7. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2008.05.025. Epub 2008 Jul 18.
Recreational beaches constitute a large part of the 12 billion dollar per year tourism industry in Wisconsin. Beach closures due to microbial contamination are costly in terms of lost tourism revenue and adverse publicity for an area. Escherichia coli (E. coli), is used as an indicator of microbial contamination, as high concentrations of this organism should indicate a recent fecal contamination event that may contain other, more pathogenic, bacteria. An additional problem at many beaches in the state is the nuisance algae, Cladophora. It has been hypothesized that mats of Cladophora may harbor high concentrations of E. coli. Three beaches in Door County, WI were selected for study, based on tourist activity and amounts of algae present. Concentrations of E. coli were higher within Cladophora mats than in surrounding water. Beaches displayed an E. coli concentration gradient in water extending away from the Cladophora mats, although this was not statistically significant. Likewise, the amount of Cladophora observed on a beach did not correlate with E. coli concentrations found in routine beach monitoring samples. More work is needed to determine the impact of mats of Cladophora on beach water quality, as well as likely sources of E. coli found within the mats.
休闲海滩在威斯康星州每年120亿美元的旅游业中占很大一部分。因微生物污染导致海滩关闭，会造成旅游收入损失以及给当地带来负面宣传，代价高昂。大肠杆菌（E. coli）被用作微生物污染的指标，因为这种微生物的高浓度表明近期可能发生了粪便污染事件，而此类事件可能还含有其他更具致病性的细菌。该州许多海滩还存在另一个问题，即有害藻类刚毛藻。据推测，刚毛藻席可能含有高浓度的大肠杆菌。基于游客活动情况和藻类数量，威斯康星州多尔县的三个海滩被选作研究对象。刚毛藻席内的大肠杆菌浓度高于周围水体。海滩水体中远离刚毛藻席的区域呈现出大肠杆菌浓度梯度，不过这在统计学上并不显著。同样，在海滩上观察到的刚毛藻数量与常规海滩监测样本中发现的大肠杆菌浓度并无关联。需要开展更多工作来确定刚毛藻席对海滩水质的影响，以及刚毛藻席内大肠杆菌的可能来源。
