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. 2018 Feb 15:615:123-130.
doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.09.232. Epub 2017 Sep 28.

Potential for gulls to transport bacteria from human waste sites to beaches

Elizabeth W Alm  1 , Quri R Daniels-Witt  2 , Deric R Learman  2 , Hodon Ryu  3 , Dustin W Jordan  2 , Thomas M Gehring  2 , Jorge Santo Domingo  3
Affiliations

Potential for gulls to transport bacteria from human waste sites to beaches

Elizabeth W Alm et al. Sci Total Environ. .

Abstract

Contamination of recreational beaches due to fecal waste from gulls complicates beach monitoring and may pose a risk to public health. Gulls that feed at human waste sites may ingest human fecal microorganisms associated with that waste. If these gulls also visit beaches, they may serve as vectors, transporting fecal microorganisms to the beach where they may subsequently contaminate sand and water. In this study, samples collected from landfills, treated wastewater storage lagoons, and public beaches demonstrated a spatial and temporal overlap of markers for gull and human-associated microorganisms. In addition, markers for gull, fecal indicator bacteria, and the human-associated marker, HF183, were detected in gull feces and cloacae samples. Further, HF183 was detected in cloacae samples from gulls that were documented by radio-telemetry traveling between human waste sites and public beaches. This study highlights the potential for gulls that visit human waste sites to disperse human-associated microorganisms in the beach landscape.

Keywords: Beaches; Fecal indicator bacteria; Fecal pollution; Gull transport; Microbial source tracking.

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Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Map of study sites in western Michigan, USA. Red shading marks the outline of Muskegon and Ottawa counties of western Michigan (right map). White stars mark the site locations (left map). The Muskegon Wastewater Management System is located in Muskegon County, MI. The Muskegon Solid Waste landfill is on the property of the Muskegon Wastewater Management System. North Beach, Grand Haven City Beach, and Coopersville landfill are located in Ottawa County, MI. This map was generated using Google Earth software.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Paired feces and cloacae samples (n = 11 pairs) that had positive assays with gull-associated (Gull4), human-associated (HF183), general Bacteroidetes (GenBac3), enterococci (Entero1), and E. coli (EC23S857) markers.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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