Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-mp689 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-25T04:29:39.869Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Occurrence of ‘thermophilic’ campylobacters in sewage and their removal by treatment processes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

S. M. Arimi ,
C. R. Fricker  and
R. W. A. Park
S. M. Arimi
Affiliation:
Department of Microbiology, University of Reading, London Road, Reading RG1 5AQ, UK
C. R. Fricker
Affiliation:
Department of Microbiology, University of Reading, London Road, Reading RG1 5AQ, UK
R. W. A. Park
Affiliation:
Department of Microbiology, University of Reading, London Road, Reading RG1 5AQ, UK
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Removal of thermophilic campylobacters from sewage at three different stages of treatment at a trickling filter sewage works has been assessed. Samples of incoming sewage, primary sedimentation effluent and final effluent were taken daily from 06.00 h to 20.00 h for 5 consecutive days and the numbers of campylobacters determined by using a most probable number method. Each sample was cultured using 2 h pre–enrichment followed by enrichment in Preston broth for 48 h and detection by plating. Over 78% of the incoming campylobacters were removed after primary sedimentation and < 0.1% remained in the final effluent. Campylobacter jejun biotype I and biotype II constituted 81.5% and 15.9% respectively of the 232 isolates tested. Serotypes common in sewage were common in human faces. It appears that the trickling filter sewage works removes most of the campylobacters entering the sewage works, but large numbers, estimated to be approximately 1010, are released into the environment daily from a local sewage works.

Type
Research Article
Information
Epidemiology & Infection , Volume 101 , Issue 2 , October 1988 , pp. 279 - 286
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1988

References

Blaser, M. J., Glass, R. I., Hug, M. I., Stoll, B., Kibriya, G. M. & Alim, A. R. M. A. (1980). Isolation of Campylobacter fetus susp. jejuni from Bangladesh children. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 12, 744–747.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bolton, F. J., Coates, D. & Hutchinson, D. N. (1985). Thirteen– month survey of campylobacters in a river system subject to sewage effluent discharge. In Campylobacter III (ed. Pearson, A. D., Skirrow, M. B.Lior, H.Rowe, B.), pp. 278–279. London: Public Health Laboratory Service.Google Scholar
Bolton, F. J., Hinchcliffe, P. M., Coates, D. & Robertson, L. (1982). A most probable number method for estimating small numbers of campylobacters in water. Journal of Hygiene 89, 189–190.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brouwer, R., Mertens, M. J. A., Siem, T. H. & Katchaki, J. (1979). An explosive outbreak of campylobacter enteritis in soldiers. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek 45, 517–519.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Butzler, J. P. & Skirrow, M. B. (1979). Campylobacter enteritis. Clinical Gastroenterology 8, 737–765.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carrington, E.G. (1981). Inactivation of Salmonella in sewage sludge during anaerobic digestion. Journal of Applied Bacteriology 51, xii.Google Scholar
Chan, F. T. H. & MacKenzie, A. M. R. (1982). Enrichment medium and control system for isolation of Campylobacter fetus subsp. jejuni from stools. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 15, 12–15.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Devlin, H. R. & McIntyre, I. (1983). Campylobacter fetus subsp. fetus in homosexual males. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 18, 999–1000.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Doyle, M. P. & Roman, D. J. (1982). Recovery of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli from inoculated foods by selective enrichment. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 43, 1343–1353.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fricker, C. R. (1984). Procedures for the isolation of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli from poultry. International Journal of Food Microbiology 1, 149–154.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fricker, C. R. (1985). A note on the effect of different storage procedures on the ability of Preston medium to recover campylobacters. Journal of Applied Bacteriology 58, 57–62.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fricker, C.R., Alemohammad, M. M. & Park, R. W. A. (1987). A study of factors affecting the sensitivity of the passive haemagglutionation method for serotping Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli and recommendations for a more rapid procedure. Canadian Journal of Microbiology 33, 33–39.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fricker, C. R., Girdwood, R. W. A. & Munro, D. (1983). A comparison of procedures for the isolation of campylobacters from seagull faeces. Journal of Hygiene 91, 445–450.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fricker, C. R. & Metcalfe, N. (1984). Campylobacters in wading birds (Charadrii): incidence, biotypes and isolation techniques. Zentralblatt für Bakteriologie, Mikrobiologie und Hygiene (I. Abteile Originale B) 179, 469–475.Google Scholar
George, H. A., Hoffman, P. S., Smibert, R. M. & Krieg, N. R. (1978). Improved media for growth and aerotolerance of Campylobacter fetus. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 8, 36–41.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Harvey, S. M. & Greenwood, J. R. (1983). Probable Campylobacter fetus subsp. fetus gastroenteritis. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 18, 1278–1279.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Humphrey, T. J. & Cruickshank, J. G. (1985). Antibiotic and deoxycholate resistance in Campylobacter jejuni following freezing or heating. Journal of Applied Bacteriology 59, 65–71.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hutchinson, D. N., Bolton, F. J., Hinchcliffe, P. M., Dawkins, H. C., Horsley, S. D., Jessop, E. G., Robertshaw, P. A. & Counter, D. E. (1985). Evidence of udder excretion of Campylobacter jejuni as the cause of milk–borne campylobacter outbereak. Journal of Hygiene 94, 205–215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jones, F. & Watkins, J. (1985). The water cycle as a source of pathogens. In Microbial Aspects of Water Management. Society for Applied Bacteriology Symposium Series, no. 14 (ed. White, W. R.Passmore, S. M.). pp. 27S–36S. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publications.Google Scholar
Kampelmacher, E. H. & Van Noorle Jansen, L. M. (1970). Salmonella; its presence and removal from a wastewater system. Journal of Water pollution Control Federation 42, 2069–2073.Google Scholar
Klein, B. S., Vergeront, J. M., Blaser, M. J. & Edmonds, P. (1986). Campylobacter infection associated with raw milk: an outbreak of gastroenteritis due to Campylobacter jejuni and thermotolerant Campylobacer fetus subsp. Journal of the American Medical Association 255, 361–364.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Knill, M. J., Suckling, W. G. & Pearson, A. D. (1982). Campylobacters from water. In Campylobacter: Epidemiology, Pathogenesis and Biochemistry (ed. D., G. Newell), pp. 281–284. Lancaster: MTP Press.Google Scholar
Leuchtefeld, N. N., Cambre, R. C. & Wang, W. L. (1981). Isolation of Campylobacter fetus subsp. jejuni from zoo animals. Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association 179, 1119–1122.Google Scholar
Mentzing, L. O. (1981). Waterborne outbreak of campylobacter enteritis in central Sweden. Lancet ii, 352–354.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Palmer, S. R., Gully, P. R., White, J. M., Pearson, A. D., Suckling, W. G., Jones, D. M., Rawes, J. C. L. & Penner, J. L. (1983). Waterborne outbreak of campylobacter gastroenteritis. Lancet i, 287–290.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Penner, J. L. & Hennessy, J. N. (1980). Passive haemagglutination technique for serotyping Campylobacter fetus subsp. jejuni on the basis of soluble heat–stable antigens. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 12, 732–737.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pike, E. B. (1975). Aerobic bacteria. In Ecological Aspects of Used Water Treatment, Vol. 1 (ed. Curds, C. R.Hawkes, H. A.), pp. 1–63. London: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Ray, B. & Johnson, C. (1984). Sensitivity of cold–stressed Campylobacter jejuni to solid and liquid selective enrichments. Food Microbiology 1, 173–176.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ribeiro, C. D. & Price, T. H. (1984). The use of Preston enrichment broth for the isolation of ‘thermophilic’ campylobacters from water. Journal of Hygiene 92, 45–51.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Richardson, N. J., Koornhof, H. J. & Bokkenheuser, V. D. (1981). Long–term infection with Campylobacter fetus subsp. jejuni. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 13, 846–849.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Riley, L. W. & Finch, M. J. (1985). Results of the first year National Surveillance of Campylobacter infections in the United States. Journal of Infections Diseases 151, 956–959.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Robinson, D. A. (1981). Infective dose of Campylobacter jejuni in milk. British Medical Journal 282–1584.Google ScholarPubMed
Robinson, D. A., Edgar, N. M., Gibson, G. L., Matchett, A. A. & Robertson, L. (1979). Campylobacter enteritis associated with consumption of unpasteurized milk. British Medical Journal, i, 1171–1173.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rogol, M., Shpak, B., Rothman, D. & Sechter, I. (1985). Enrichment medium for isolation of Campylobacter jejuni–Campylobacter coli. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 50, 125–126.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rollins, D. M. & Colwell, R. R. (1986). Viable but nonculturable stage of Campylobacter jejuni and its role in survival in natural aquatic environment. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 52, 531–538.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rosef, O., Gondrosen, B., Kapperud, G. & Underdal, B. (1983). Isolation and characterization of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli from domestic and wild mammals in Norway. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 46, 855–859.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Simor, A. E. & Wilcox, L. (1987). Enteritis associated with Campylobacter laridis. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 25, 10–12.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Skirrow, M. B. (1982). Campylobacter enteritis – the first five years. Journal of Hygiene 89, 175–184.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Skirrow, M. B. & Benjamin, J. (1982). The classification of thermophilic campylobacters and their distribution in man and domestic animals. In Campylobacter: Epidemiology, Pathogenesis and Biochemistry (ed. Newell, D. G.), pp. 40–44. Lancaster: MTP Press.Google Scholar
Steele, T. W. & McDermott, S. (1978). Campylobacter enteritis in South Australia. Medical Journal of Australia 2, 404–406.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sumathipala, R. W. & Morrison, G. W. (1983). Campylobacter enteritis after falling into sewage. British Medical Journal 286, 1350.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Totten, P. A., Fennell, C. L., Tenover, F. C., Wezenberg, J. M., Perine, P. L., Stamn, W. E. & Holmes, K. K. (1985). Campylobacter cinaedi (sp. nov.) and Campylobacter fennelliae (sp. nov.): two new campylobacter species associated with enteric disease in homosexual men. Journal of Infections Diseases 151, 131–139.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Waterman, S. C., Park, R. W. A. & Bramley, A. J. (1984). A search for the source of Campylobacter jejuni in milk. Journal of Hygiene 92, 333–337.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yaziz, M. I. & Lloyd, B. J. (1979). The removal of salmonellas in conventional sewage treatment processes. Journal of Applied Bacteriology 46, 131–142.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed