Human source identification by using a human-associated Escherichia coli genetic marker in the Mae Klong River, Thailand
Issued Date
2022-05-01
Resource Type
ISSN
14778920
eISSN
19967829
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85131223868
Pubmed ID
35635773
Journal Title
Journal of Water and Health
Volume
20
Issue
5
Start Page
794
End Page
802
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Journal of Water and Health Vol.20 No.5 (2022) , 794-802
Suggested Citation
Nopprapun P., Boontanon S.K., Piyaviriyakul P., Sweattatut R., Fujii S., Harada H. Human source identification by using a human-associated Escherichia coli genetic marker in the Mae Klong River, Thailand. Journal of Water and Health Vol.20 No.5 (2022) , 794-802. 802. doi:10.2166/wh.2022.296 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/84716
Title
Human source identification by using a human-associated Escherichia coli genetic marker in the Mae Klong River, Thailand
Author's Affiliation
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
Contamination caused by microbial fecal pollution in water bodies is a serious problem in many countries, especially in low- and middleincome countries. Therefore, fecal source tracking is an important method used to understand the source of fecal contamination and to decrease the hazard of waterborne diseases that occurs in the environment. In this study, a human-associated genetic marker for Escherichia coli (H8) was used to investigate the source of fecal contamination in the Mae Klong River, Thailand. Real-time PCR was performed with this marker for 500 E. coli isolates collected from 10 sampling sites along the river, including MK10 (upstream) to MK1 (downstream). The results showed that the proportions of H8-positive isolates were 46, 14, 10, 18, 14, 38, 12, 26, 32, and 14% at MK10-MK1, respectively. All positive proportions were significantly different between the locations (p,0.001). The higher occurrence of E. coli with H8 marker detection indicated that domestic wastewater was largely discharged without proper treatment, which is attributable to the high population and the absence of proper sewage treatment in those areas.