학술논문

Effects of the nuisance algae, Cladophora, on Escherichia coli at recreational beaches in Wisconsin
Document Type
Academic Journal
Source
The Science of the Total Environment. Oct 1, 2008, Vol. 404 Issue 1, p10, 8 p.
Subject
Escherichia coli -- Analysis
Travel industry -- Analysis
Water quality -- Analysis
Language
English
ISSN
0048-9697
Abstract
To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2008.05.025 Byline: Erik T. Englebert, Colleen McDermott, Gregory T. Kleinheinz Keywords: E. coli; Cladophora; Beach monitoring; Recreational water quality; Door County; Lake Michigan Abstract: 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. Author Affiliation: Department of Biology and Microbiology, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, 800 Algoma Boulevard, Oshkosh, WI 54901, USA Article History: Received 8 January 2008; Revised 15 May 2008; Accepted 19 May 2008