Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies

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Publications

Climate Change Impacts on Microbiota in Beach Sand and Water: Looking Ahead

Publication . Brandão, João; Weiskerger, Chelsea; Valério, Elisabete; Pitkänen, Tarja; Meriläinen, Päivi; Avolio, Lindsay; Heaney, Christopher D.; Sadowsky, Michael J.

Beach sand and water have both shown relevance for human health and their microbiology have been the subjects of study for decades. Recently, the World Health Organization recommended that recreational beach sands be added to the matrices monitored for enterococci and Fungi. Global climate change is affecting beach microbial contamination, via changes to conditions like water temperature, sea level, precipitation, and waves. In addition, the world is changing, and humans travel and relocate, often carrying endemic allochthonous microbiota. Coastal areas are amongst the most frequent relocation choices, especially in regions where desertification is taking place. A warmer future will likely require looking beyond the use of traditional water quality indicators to protect human health, in order to guarantee that waterways are safe to use for bathing and recreation. Finally, since sand is a complex matrix, an alternative set of microbial standards is necessary to guarantee that the health of beach users is protected from both sand and water contaminants. We need to plan for the future safer use of beaches by adapting regulations to a climate-changing world.

2022-01-27Journal article

Open access

4th International Conference on Food Contaminants (ICFC) 2021: Challenges on early-life exposure: Book of abstracts

Publication . Vasco, E.; Martins, C.; Serrenho, I.; Assunção, R.; Alvito, P.

(...) Exposure to hazardous chemicals during first 1000 days of life has been linked to an increased risk of a number of health disorders.There is growing evidence that early-life exposure to chemical hazards can lead to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in adulthood including cancer, diabetes, obesity and auto-immune diseases. Because cells are rapidly dividing and organ systems are developing during childhood and adolescence, exposure to carcinogens during these early life stages is a major risk factor for cancer later in life. Exposure during early-life due to food ingestion of toxic chemicals seems to have a critical role on the rapid epidemiological rise of obesity as well as a trans-generational transmission of risk of later obesity. Some reports provide evidence of a link between early-life adverse events (ELAE)-induced intestinal barrier disruption, inflammation, epigenetic modifications, and the occurrence of late metabolic disorders (MD), including obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Changes in neurobehavior, sexual development, the prevalence of asthma and allergy, among others, have shown to be associated with chemical contaminants exposure at early-life stages. Early-life is a critical sensitive window of susceptibility. Therefore, this conference will aim to gather research scientists, health and food professionals, regulatory entities, and students to discuss different perspectives on this particular period of life in order to debate i) the risks associated with exposing vulnerable populations to chemicals, in particular, food contaminants and ii) toxic effects of early-life exposure to chemicals. This conference is promoted within the framework of the earlyMYCO national project, funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), Portugal, aiming to assess the impact of early-life exposure to mycotoxins and their potential impact on human health. (...)

2021-09Conference object

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Occurrence, Diversity and Anti-Fungal Resistance of Fungi in Sand of an Urban Beach in Slovenia—Environmental Monitoring with Possible Health Risk Implications

Publication . Novak Babič, Monika; Gunde-Cimerman, Nina; Breskvar, Martin; Džeroski, Sašo; Brandão, João

Beach safety regulation is based on faecal indicators in water, leaving out sand and fungi, whose presence in both matrices has often been reported. To study the abundance, diversity and possible fluctuations of mycobiota, fungi from sand and seawater were isolated from the Portorož beach (Slovenia) during a 1-year period. Sand analyses yielded 64 species of 43 genera, whereas seawater samples yielded 29 species of 18 genera. Environmental and taxonomical data of fungal communities were analysed using machine learning approaches. Changes in the air and water temperature , sunshine hours, humidity and precipitation, air pressure and wind speed appeared to affect mycobiota. The core genera Aphanoascus, Aspergillus, Fusarium, Bisifusarium, Penicillium, Tala-romyces, and Rhizopus were found to compose a stable community within sand, although their presence and abundance fluctuated along with weather changes. Aspergillus spp. were the most abundant and thus tested against nine antimycotics using Sensititre Yeast One kit. Aspergillus niger and A. welwitschiae isolates were found to be resistant to amphotericin B. Additionally, four possible human pollution indicators were isolated during the bathing season, including Meyerozyma, which can be used in beach microbial regulation. Our findings provide the foundations for additional research on sand and seawater mycobiota and show the potential effect of global warming and extreme weather events on fungi in sand and sea.

2022-08-16Journal article

Open access

Microbial Source Tracking as a Method of Determination of Beach Sand Contamination

Publication . Valério, Elisabete; Santos, Maria Leonor; Teixeira, Pedro; Matias, Ricardo; Mendonça, João; Ahmed, Warish; Brandão, João

Beach sand may act as a reservoir for numerous microorganisms, including enteric pathogens. Several of these pathogens originate in human or animal feces, which may pose a public health risk. In August 2019, high levels of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) were detected in the sand of the Azorean beach Prainha, Terceira Island, Portugal. Remediation measures were promptly implemented, including sand removal and the spraying of chlorine to restore the sand quality. To determine the source of the fecal contamination, during the first campaign, supratidal sand samples were collected from several sites along the beach, followed by microbial source tracking (MST) analyses of Bacteroides marker genes for five animal species, including humans. Some of the sampling sites revealed the presence of marker genes from dogs, seagulls, and ruminants. Making use of the information on biological sources originating partially from dogs, the municipality enforced restrictive measures for dog-walking at the beach. Subsequent sampling campaigns detected low FIB contamination due to the mitigation and remediation measures that were undertaken. This is the first case study where the MST approach was used to determine the contamination sources in the supratidal sand of a coastal beach. Our results show that MST can be an essential tool to determine sources of fecal contamination in the sand. This study shows the importance of holistic management of beaches that should go beyond water quality monitoring for FIB, putting forth evidence for beach sand monitoring.

2022-06-28Journal article

Open access

Health risk posed by direct ingestion of yeasts from polluted river water

Publication . Steffen, Heidi Christa; Smith, Katrin; van Deventer, Corné; Weiskerger, Chelsea; Bosch, Caylin; Brandão, João; Wolfaardt, Gideon; Botha, Alfred

River water is an essential human resource that may be contaminated with hazardous microorganisms. However, the risk of yeast infection through river water exposure is unclear because it is highly dependant on individual susceptibility and has therefore not been well-studied, to date. To evaluate this undefined risk, we analysed the fungal communities in less polluted (LP) and highly polluted (HP) river water, as determined using principal coordinate analysis of pollution indicators. We enumerated culturable yeasts using a thermally selective isolation procedure (37 °C) and thus promoted the growth of potentially opportunistic species. Yeast species identified as clinically relevant were then tested for antifungal resistance. In addition, we propose a quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) framework to quantitatively assess the potential risk of yeast infection. Our results indicated that pollution levels significantly altered fungal communities (p = 0.007) and that genera representing opportunistic and pathogenic members were significantly more abundant in HP waters (p = 0.038). Additionally, the yeast species Candida glabrata and Clavispora lusitaniae positively correlated with other pollution indicators, demonstrating the species' indicator potential. Our QMRA results further indicate that higher risk of infection is associated with increased water pollution levels (considering both physicochemical and bacterial indicators). Furthermore, yeast species with higher pathogenic potential present an increased risk of infection despite lower observed concentrations in the river water. Interestingly, the bloom of Meyerozyma guilliermondii during the wet season suggests that other environmental factors, such as dissolved oxygen levels and water turbulence, might affect growth characteristics of yeasts in river water, which consequently affects the distribution of annual infection risks. The presence of antifungal resistant yeasts, observed in this study, could further contribute to variation in risk distribution. Research on the ecophysiology of yeasts in these environments is therefore necessary to ameliorate the uncertainty and sensitivity of the proposed QMRA model. In addition to the vital knowledge on opportunistic and pathogenic yeast occurrence in river water and their observed association with pollution, this study provides valuable methods and insights to initiate future QMRAs of yeast infections.

2023-03-01Journal article

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