Browsing by Author "Kleinheinz, Greg"
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- Effects of a Changing Earth on Microbial Dynamics and Human Health Risks in the Water/Sand ContinuumPublication . Weiskerger, Chelsea; Brandão, João; Robinson, Clare; Staley, Chris M.; Kleinheinz, Greg; Nshimyimana, Jean Pierre; Kinzelman, Julie; Nevers, Meredith B; Sadowsky, Michael Jay; Phanikumar, Mantha S; Whitman, Richard; Edge, Tom Andrew; Piggot, Alan; Boehm, Alexandria; Aslan, Asli; Badgley, Brian; Heaney, Christopher; Symonds, Erin; Solo-Gabriele, Helena; Fleisher, Jay; Harwood, Jody; Yamahara, Kevan; Vogel, Laura; Jordão, Luisa; Avolio, Lindsay; Merilainen, Paivi; Pitkanen, Tarja; Warish, Ahmed; Staley, Zachery; Klaus, JamesHumans may be exposed to microbial pathogens at recreational beaches via environmental sources such as water and sand. Although infectious disease risk from exposure to waterborne pathogens, and the fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) used to monitor water quality are active areas of research, sand is a relatively unexplored reservoir of pathogens and FIB. Sand and water at beaches experience continuous exchange of microorganisms, and these habitats provide unique advantages and challenges to pathogen introduction, growth, and persistence. Models of FIB and pathogen fate and transport in beach habitats can aid prediction of the risk of infectious disease from recreational water use, but filling knowledge gaps is necessary for accurate modeling. Climate change predictions estimate an increase in global temperatures of 2.5 – 10° F, sea level rise, and intensification of storms and precipitation in some regions. Other global change factors like population growth and urbanization may exacerbate predicted impacts. These changes can alter microbial population dynamics in beach habitats, and may consequently affect the assumptions and relationships used in numerical models. We discuss literature on microbial population and transport dynamics in sand/beach habitats, with an emphasis on how climate change and other anthropogenic influences (e.g., land use, urbanization) should be considered when using and developing models.
- Microbes in Beach Sands: Integrating Environment, Ecology and Public HealthPublication . Whitman, Richard; Harwood, Valerie; Edge, Thomas; Nevers, Meredith; Byappanahalli, Muruleedhara; Vijayavel, Kannappan; Brandão, João; Sadowsky, Michael; Wheeler Alm, Elizabeth; Crowe, Allan; Ferguson, Donna; Ge, Zhongfu; Halliday, Elizabeth; Kinzelman, Julie; Kleinheinz, Greg; Przybyla-Kelly, Kasia; Staley, Christopher; Staley, Zachery; Solo-Gabriele, HelenaBeach sand is a habitat that supports many microbes, including viruses, bacteria, fungi and protozoa (micropsammon). The apparently inhospitable conditions of beach sand environments belie the thriving communities found there. Physical factors, such as water availability and protection from insolation; biological factors, such as competition, predation, and biofilm formation; and nutrient availability all contribute to the characteristics of the micropsammon. Sand microbial communities include autochthonous species/phylotypes indigenous to the environment. Allochthonous microbes, including fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) and waterborne pathogens, are deposited via waves, runoff, air, or animals. The fate of these microbes ranges from death, to transient persistence and/or replication, to establishment of thriving populations (naturalization) and integration in the autochthonous community. Transport of the micropsammon within the habitat occurs both horizontally across the beach, and vertically from the sand surface and ground water table, as well as at various scales including interstitial flow within sand pores, sediment transport for particle-associated microbes, and the large-scale processes of wave action and terrestrial runoff. The concept of beach sand as a microbial habitat and reservoir of FIB and pathogens has begun to influence our thinking about human health effects associated with sand exposure and recreational water use. A variety of pathogens have been reported from beach sands, and recent epidemiology studies have found some evidence of health risks associated with sand exposure. Persistent or replicating populations of FIB and enteric pathogens have consequences for watershed/beach management strategies and regulatory standards for safe beaches. This review summarizes our understanding of the community structure, ecology, fate, transport, and public health implications of microbes in beach sand. It concludes with recommendations for future work in this vastly under-studied area.