CRIFS, Department of Food Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2013 Aug;79(15):4564-7. doi: 10.1128/AEM.00612-13. Epub 2013 May 17.
F-specific (F+) RNA phages are widely used as indicators for the presence of fecal contamination and/or enteric viruses in water, and identifying subgroups of F+ RNA phages provides an approach for microbial source tracking. Different survival characteristics of the F+ RNA phage subgroups result in a misinterpretation of their original proportion in water, thus giving misleading information when they are used for microbial source tracking. This study investigated the comparative persistence of subgroups of F+ RNA phages in river water under different conditions. Results suggested that temperature and pH are the major factors affecting the persistence of F+ RNA phages in river water, and organic substances promote phage survival. The comparative persistence patterns of subgroups of F+ RNA phages varied and may bias extrapolation of their initial proportions in surface water. Thus, the characteristics of water should be taken into consideration and the results should be carefully interpreted when F+ RNA phages are used for microbial source tracking.
F 特异性（F+）RNA 噬菌体被广泛用作水中粪便污染和/或肠道病毒存在的指示物，鉴定 F+RNA 噬菌体的亚群为微生物溯源提供了一种方法。F+RNA 噬菌体亚群的不同存活特征导致其在水中的原始比例被错误解释，因此在用于微生物溯源时会提供误导信息。本研究调查了不同条件下 F+RNA 噬菌体亚群在河水中的比较持久性。结果表明，温度和 pH 是影响 F+RNA 噬菌体在河水中持久性的主要因素，而有机物质促进了噬菌体的存活。F+RNA 噬菌体亚群的比较持久性模式不同，可能会导致对地表水初始比例的推断产生偏差。因此，在使用 F+RNA 噬菌体进行微生物溯源时，应考虑水的特性，并谨慎解释结果。
