Dr. Cooper will present a research seminar this coming Friday entitled "Diversity and Persistence of Enterococci in Lake Newport, Mill Creek Park".
Background readings for this presentation are as follows:
Persistence and Decay of Fecal Microbiota in Aquatic Habitats
Enterococci: From Commensals to Leading Causes of Drug Resistant Infection
Dr. Cooper presented the "Diversity and Persistence of Enterococci in Lake Newport, Mill Creek Park."
ReplyDeleteLake Newport is the largest of the 3 lakes within Mill Creek Park, and it has a large space of open water and associated wetlands. Boats and fishing is permitted.
Enterococci is a signal of possible pathogens in aquatic habitats that can cause waterborne diseases to humans. Also, Enterococci has shown to be an issue in hospital infections due to the resistance to multi drugs. They are fecal indicator bacteria that can be the result of waste water, septic systems, sewage discharge, and other wastes (www.epa.gov).
Why do you think it is important to monitor the levels of Enterococci? What precautions should we take in high traffic areas used by humans?
As Dr. Cooper noted, Enterococci are gram-positive bacteria and are relatively abundant in Lake Newport.
DeleteIt is important to monitor levels since fishing and boating are permitted, allowing people to get into the water and consume fish that they catch. This is one of many examples of how they can be infected with Enterococci.
Enterococci can cause a variety of infections which is another reason it needs to be monitored. One infection it can cause is a urinary tract infection which is treated with antibiotics but is extremely uncomfortable and can lead to serious problems especially if undetected.
Precautions humans should take would be to know that Enterococci is in the water of Lake Newport and to not consume fish from that body of water or swim in it. I would advise to do some research before you jump into water that you’re not familiar with. That’s a good safety protocol for not only bacteria that may be found in the water but becoming aware of the area to avoid serious injury.
I find it interesting that with time, science has allowed us to monitor seemingly trivial things, like microbes in water bodies, that have a much larger impact than one would think. For instance, Enterococci levels can be a determinant factor in allowing certain water-related activities, due to the genus' ability to cause serious infections.
DeleteMonitoring levels of Enterococci and other genera is important in determining safety in exposure to bodies of water due to the aforementioned dangers. Precautions, such as frequent testing, updates/warnings, and people keeping up to date on the information provided should be helpful in avoiding danger.
Due to the relatively high amount of human activity within and near Lake Newport, governmental agencies and scientists could definitely be monitoring the levels of Enterococci and other potentially harmful genera. A simple precaution we could all take would be to not eat the fish out of the lake, if we are to fish and boat on the lake frequently. We may also not swim in water that we are not certain is safe for us, as lakes can harbor many harmful microbes.
ReplyDeleteIt was an interesting topic about the extend of colonization by Enterococci on lake Newport, Mill Creek Park. This lake serves as a source of food and entertainment in the community. Therefore, its protection from virulent/ pathogenic microbes is paramount.
ReplyDeleteWe should be careful when interacting with the water such as avoid swimming and eating fish from the lake. Frequent testing after any activities on the lake. On the other hand sewer companies should ensure no leakages and safety measures of treating wastes before discharging it.