Diversity of Fecal Indicator Enterococci among Different Hosts: Importance to Water Contamination Source Tracking

• Published in: Microorganisms (Basel) 2023-12, Vol.11 (12), p.2981
• Main Authors: Tamai, Soichiro, Suzuki, Yoshihiro
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Antibiotics; Aquatic environment; Bacteria; bacterial diversity; Birds; Cattle; Cluster analysis; Composition; Contamination; Domestic animals; Dominant species; Enterococcus; Farms; Fecal coliforms; fecal source tracking; Feces; Hogs; host-specific bacteria; Intestine; Lasers; Livestock; Livestock farming; Livestock industry; Mass spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; Microorganisms; Nosocomial infections; Opportunist infection; Selective media; Species diversity; Swine; Water pollution; water quality
• ISSN: 2076-2607; 2076-2607
• DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11122981

spp. are common bacteria present in the intestinal tracts of animals and are used as fecal indicators in aquatic environments. On the other hand, enterococci are also known as opportunistic pathogens. Elucidating their composition in the intestinal tracts of domestic animals can assist in estimating the sources of fecal contamination in aquatic environments. However, information on the species and composition of enterococci in animal hosts (except humans) is still lacking. In this study, enterococci were isolated from the feces of cattle, pigs, birds, and humans using selective media. Enterococcal species were identified using mass spectrometry technology, and each host was characterized by diversity and cluster analysis. The most dominant species were in cattle, in birds, and in pigs and humans. Cattle had the highest alpha diversity, with high interindividual and livestock farm diversity. The dominant enterococcal species in pigs and humans were identical, and cluster analysis showed that the majority of the two hosts' species clustered together.