Microcosms for evaluating microbial indicator persistence and mobilization in fluvial sediments during rainfall events.

Water Res

Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; The Water Research Institute, University of Barcelona, C/ Montalegre 6, 08001 Barcelona, Spain.

Published: October 2017


Category Ranking

98%

Total Visits

921

Avg Visit Duration

2 minutes

Citations

20

Article Abstract

Mediterranean rivers, which are subject to long, dry periods and heavy rainfall events, could be particularly useful for understanding future climate scenarios. This study generated microcosms that mimicked riverbank sediment resuspension into the water of a typical Mediterranean river as a consequence of heavy rainfall. The mobilization and inactivation of six fecal pollution indicators and microbial source tracking markers were evaluated. The T values in the sediments were: 4 days for sorbitol-fermenting Bifidobacterium, 11 days for culturable E. coli, 36 days for bacteriophages infecting Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron strain GA17 and more than 42 days for qPCR-detected E. coli, somatic coliphages and sulfite-reducing clostridia spores. Bacteriophages and bacteria showed different resuspension and sedimentation patterns. The data obtained could be used in predictive models to assess the effects of climate change on surface water quality. Pathogen mobilization into the water column poses a risk for humans, animals and the natural environment, and breaches the One Health approach.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2017.07.017DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

rainfall events
8
heavy rainfall
8
microcosms evaluating
4
evaluating microbial
4
microbial indicator
4
indicator persistence
4
persistence mobilization
4
mobilization fluvial
4
fluvial sediments
4
sediments rainfall
4

Similar Publications

Background: Nepal is highly affected by climate change, experiencing glacier melting, untimely rainfall, floods, landslides, forest fires, and droughts, which collectively impact over 10 million people. There is a larger impact of climate change on human health, but its impact on women's and girls' sexual and reproductive health and rights is yet to be explored. Thus, this study aims to understand the linkages between climate change and the unique impact on gender and sexual, and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Lagrangian quantification of atmospheric moisture sources for extreme rainfall events over India during the 2023 summer monsoon.

Sci Total Environ

September 2025

Agricultural and Food Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, West Bengal, India. Electronic address:

Extreme rainfall during the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) accounts for approximately 27 % of the total seasonal rainfall. Most of this moisture is transported from the Indian Ocean. Amid ongoing warming of the Indian Ocean, 2023 stood out as one of the warmest monsoon years on record.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Urban flooding, exacerbated by climate change and the expansion of impervious surfaces, poses growing risks to sustainable urban development. Enhancing soil infiltration through green infrastructure is a promising nature-based solution, yet its hydrological effectiveness and economic viability under diverse rainfall scenarios remain insufficiently quantified. This study develops an interdisciplinary framework integrating column experiments, physically distributed hydrological modeling, and cost-benefit analysis to assess ceramsite-amended soils for urban flood resilience.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introducing Normalized Surface-adjusted Precipitation Index (NSPI) for regional drought assessment.

Sci Total Environ

September 2025

Department of Environmental & Water Resources Engineering, University Teaching Department, Chhattisgarh Swami Vivekanand Technical University Bhilai, Bhilai 491107, Chhattisgarh, India; Department of Civil Engineering, National Institute of Technology Raipur, Raipur 492001, Chhattisgarh, India. Elec

Drought is a natural event, but its frequency and severity are increasingly influenced by human activity and climate change. In the current Anthropocene era, human-induced changes to the hydrological cycle combined with natural climate variability are reshaping how droughts develop and persist. Droughts often result from complex interactions between atmospheric conditions and land surface processes, which affect how water and energy move through the environment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The increase in wastewater-sourced resistome elevated the prevalence and risk of riverine antibiotic resistance in wet season.

Environ Int

September 2025

SCNU Environmental Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China; School of Environment, South China Normal University, University To

Frequent rainfall events can trigger sewer overflows and surface runoff, facilitating the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to downstream aquatic environments. However, the dynamic hydrologic conditions during rainfalls complicate the behavior of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), making it challenging to trace their sources and assess associated risks. Here, we integrated global resistome data to investigate the distribution, sources, and AMR risks of ARGs in the Xiangjiang River during the wet season, in comparison to the dry season.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF