<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>
<oai_dc:dc xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:oai_dc="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/ http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc.xsd">
  <dc:contributor>Muruleedhara N. Byappanahalli</dc:contributor>
  <dc:contributor>H. Taylor</dc:contributor>
  <dc:contributor>Richard L. Whitman</dc:contributor>
  <dc:contributor>J. Ebdon</dc:contributor>
  <dc:contributor>D.R. Kashian</dc:contributor>
  <dc:creator>K. Vijayavel</dc:creator>
  <dc:date>2014</dc:date>
  <dc:description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Bacteriophages are viruses living in bacteria that can be used as a tool to detect fecal contamination in surface waters around the world. However, the lack of a universal host strain makes them unsuitable for tracking fecal sources. We evaluated the suitability of two newly isolated&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;Enterococcus&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;host strains (ENT-49 and ENT-55) capable for identifying sewage contamination in impacted waters by targeting phages specific to these hosts. Both host strains were isolated from wastewater samples and identified as&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;E. faecium&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Occurrence of&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;Enterococcus&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;phages was evaluated in sewage samples (&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;n&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;=&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;15) from five wastewater treatment plants and in fecal samples from twenty-two species of wild and domesticated animals (individual samples;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;n&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;=&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;22). Levels of&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;Enterococcus&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;phages, F&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;+&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;coliphages,&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;Escherichia coli&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;and enterococci were examined from four rivers, four beaches, and three harbors.&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;Enterococcus&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;phages enumeration was at similar levels (Mean&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;=&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;6.72 Log PFU/100&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;mL) to F&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;+&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;coliphages in all wastewater samples, but were absent from all non-human fecal sources tested. The phages infecting&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;Enterococcus&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;spp. and F&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;+&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;coliphages were not detected in the river samples (detection threshold&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;lt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;10 PFU/100&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;mL), but were present in the beach and harbor samples (range&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;=&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;1.83 to 2.86 Log PFU/100&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;mL). Slightly higher concentrations (range&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;=&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;3.22 to 3.69 Log MPN/100&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;mL) of&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;E. coli&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;and enterococci when compared to F&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;+&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;coliphages and&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;Enterococcus&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;phages, were observed in the river, beach and harbor samples. Our findings suggest that the bacteriophages associated with these particular&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;Enterococcus&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;host strains offer potentially sensitive and human-source specific indicators of enteric pathogen risk.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</dc:description>
  <dc:format>application/pdf</dc:format>
  <dc:identifier>10.1016/j.jglr.2014.09.011</dc:identifier>
  <dc:language>en</dc:language>
  <dc:publisher>Elsevier</dc:publisher>
  <dc:title>Enterococcus phages as potential tool for identifying sewage inputs in the Great Lakes region</dc:title>
  <dc:type>article</dc:type>
</oai_dc:dc>