Enteric Pathogen Survival Varies Substantially in Irrigation Water from Belgian Lettuce Producers
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Experimental Section
2.1. Strains and Growth Conditions
2.2. Irrigation Water Samples
2.3. Pathogen Inoculation of Irrigation Water Samples
2.4. Quantification of Pathogen Survival in the Irrigation Water Samples
Water Treatment | Inoculation of the Water with | Storage Temperature of Inoculated Water | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Salmonella Thypimurium MB3885 | Salmonella Thompson RM1987N | E. coli O157:H7 MB3885 | E. coli O157:H7 NCTC12900 | Non Inoculated | ||
untreated | x | x | x | 4 °C | ||
filter sterilized | x | x | x | 4 °C | ||
untreated | x | x | x | x | x | 20 °C |
filter sterilized | x | x | x | 20 °C |
2.5. Quantification of the Resident Heterotrophic Bacteria in the Irrigation Water Samples
2.6. Plant Growth Conditions
2.7. Pathogen Inoculation of Lettuce Leaves
2.8. Quantification of Pathogen Survival on the Lettuce Leaves
2.9. Statistical Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Pathogen’s Survival in Irrigation Water: Influence of Water Temperature and Resident Aquatic Microbiota
Water Sample | pH-H2O | EC | SO4 | Cl | Fe | Mn | Mg | Ca | K | Na | Cu | Zn | NO2 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
µS/cm | mg/L | mg/L | mg/L | mg/L | mg/L | mg/L | mg/L | mg/L | mg/L | mg/L | µg/L | mg/L | mg/L | ||
GW1 a | 7.45 | 710 | 0.383 | <0.22 | 78.64 | 51.2 | 0.52 | 0.15 | 15.60 | 94.30 | 19.00 | 29.40 | <0.01 | <0.01 | <0.12 |
GW2 a | 6.99 | 1413.0 | 198.5 | <0.22 | 340.9 | 48.8 | 0.08 | 0.06 | 43.50 | 219.90 | 58.85 | 38.00 | 0.03 | 0.73 | <0.12 |
GW3 a | 7.56 | 698.0 | 0.9 | <0.3 | 134.4 | 42.4 | 0.02 | <0.01 | 15.00 | 102.61 | 8.25 | 12.72 | <0.01 | 0.79 | <0.3 |
PW1 b | 6.91 | 106 | 0.278 | <0.22 | 7.28 | 7.6 | 0.14 | 0.06 | 2.37 | 8.77 | 6.75 | 4.18 | 0.01 | <0.01 | <0.12 |
PW2 b | 7.71 | 651.0 | 5.2 | <0.22 | 165.5 | 46.3 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 14.80 | 82.65 | 13.20 | 29.70 | <0.01 | 0.01 | <0.12 |
3.2. Pathogen’s Survival in Irrigation Water: Comparisons between Water Samples and Different Strains of Each Pathogen
3.3. The Resident Background of Heterotrophic Microorganisms in the Irrigation Water Samples
3.4. Pathogen Survival on Butterhead Lettuce Leaves: Influence of the Inoculum Carrier
4. Discussion
Water Sample | Initial Level Resident Heterotrophic Bacteria | Endpoint Pathogen Level | Tentative Interpretation | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
in presence of aquatic biota (in untreated water) | in absence of aquatic biota (in filter sterilized water) | combination of competitive survival and growth and nutrient availability | risk of pathogen transfer when using non-sterilized irrigation water | risk of pathogen transfer in case of pathogen contamination of sterilized water | ||
GW1 | low | high | very high | -very low pathogen suppression (low bacterial background load) | high | very high |
-nutrients for pathogen growth available | ||||||
GW2 | medium | low | high | -important pathogen suppression by resident aquatic biota | low | high |
-limited nutrients for pathogen growth available | ||||||
-high Zn level | ||||||
GW3 | low | low | low | -important pathogen suppression but not by the resident aquatic biota | low | low |
-the pathogen does not survive in this water, although the bacterial background does | ||||||
-high Zn level | ||||||
PW1 | high | low | very high | -important pathogen suppression by resident aquatic biota | low | very high |
-nutrients for pathogen growth available | ||||||
PW2 | medium | medium | very high | -weaker pathogen suppression by resident aquatic biota | medium | very high |
-nutrients for pathogen growth available |
5. Conclusions
Supplementary Files
Supplementary File 1Acknowledgements
Author Contributions
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Van Der Linden, I.; Cottyn, B.; Uyttendaele, M.; Berkvens, N.; Vlaemynck, G.; Heyndrickx, M.; Maes, M. Enteric Pathogen Survival Varies Substantially in Irrigation Water from Belgian Lettuce Producers. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2014, 11, 10105-10124. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph111010105
Van Der Linden I, Cottyn B, Uyttendaele M, Berkvens N, Vlaemynck G, Heyndrickx M, Maes M. Enteric Pathogen Survival Varies Substantially in Irrigation Water from Belgian Lettuce Producers. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2014; 11(10):10105-10124. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph111010105
Chicago/Turabian StyleVan Der Linden, Inge, Bart Cottyn, Mieke Uyttendaele, Nick Berkvens, Geertrui Vlaemynck, Marc Heyndrickx, and Martine Maes. 2014. "Enteric Pathogen Survival Varies Substantially in Irrigation Water from Belgian Lettuce Producers" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 11, no. 10: 10105-10124. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph111010105