Temporal and Spatial Variation of Enterococci in Creeks

As conduits to larger water bodies, creeks play a crucial role in maintaining water quality in the environment. The quality of water bodies can be determined using Enterococci as fecal indicators. This book shows an evaluation of the temporal and spatial variations of Enterococci in creeks demonstrating Enterococcal abundance, diversity, their relationship with other environmental factors, and their potential contamination sources. Seven out of eight locations had Enterococci concentrations that exceeded the USEPA recommended level for impaired watershed and were approximately 100 times higher in surface water during highflow than baseflow, and in sediments than in surface water. This suggests that water movement and sediments are vehicles in the transport and survival of microorganisms in the environment. Of the species found, Enterococcus feacalis - a major pathogen for nosocomial infections, was the most dominant, but Enterococcal diversity pattern suggests that less dominant species may be useful in microbial source tracking. This book can be helpful not only to individuals conducting environmental and microbial studies, but also to anyone interested in topics of water quality.