Microbial Source Tracking as a Method of Determination of Beach Sand Contamination.

Publisher: MDPI Country of Publication: Switzerland NLM ID: 101238455 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1660-4601 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 16604601 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Int J Environ Res Public Health Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: Basel : MDPI, c2004-

Water Pollution*/analysis; Bacteria/*isolation & purification ; Bathing Beaches/*standards ; Sand/*microbiology; Animals ; Bacteria/classification ; Bacteria/genetics ; Bacteroides/genetics ; Bacteroides/isolation & purification ; Charadriiformes ; Dogs ; Environmental Monitoring/methods ; Feces/microbiology ; Portugal ; Ruminants ; Water Microbiology

Beach sand may act as a reservoir for numerous microorganisms, including enteric pathogens. Several of these pathogens originate in human or animal feces, which may pose a public health risk. In August 2019, high levels of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) were detected in the sand of the Azorean beach Prainha, Terceira Island, Portugal. Remediation measures were promptly implemented, including sand removal and the spraying of chlorine to restore the sand quality. To determine the source of the fecal contamination, during the first campaign, supratidal sand samples were collected from several sites along the beach, followed by microbial source tracking (MST) analyses of Bacteroides marker genes for five animal species, including humans. Some of the sampling sites revealed the presence of marker genes from dogs, seagulls, and ruminants. Making use of the information on biological sources originating partially from dogs, the municipality enforced restrictive measures for dog-walking at the beach. Subsequent sampling campaigns detected low FIB contamination due to the mitigation and remediation measures that were undertaken. This is the first case study where the MST approach was used to determine the contamination sources in the supratidal sand of a coastal beach. Our results show that MST can be an essential tool to determine sources of fecal contamination in the sand. This study shows the importance of holistic management of beaches that should go beyond water quality monitoring for FIB, putting forth evidence for beach sand monitoring.

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Keywords: beach; coastal sand; fecal contamination; fecal indicator bacteria (FIB); microbial source tracking (MST)

0 (Sand)

Date Created: 20220709 Date Completed: 20220712 Latest Revision: 20220822

20231215

PMC9265816

10.3390/ijerph19137934

35805592