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M W Rhodes

Publications and source records attributed to M W Rhodes.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

Enumeration of Enterococcus sp. using a modified mE method.

A modified mE medium (mEI) containing the chromogenic substrate indoxyl-beta-D-glucoside to detect beta-D-glucosidase activity was evaluated with respect to specificity and recovery of enterococci from environmental waters. Extending incubation from 24 to 48 h improved enterococci recovery but 77% of the colonies classified as non-target were confirmed as enterococci. Randomly chosen enterococcal isolates from sewage, exposed in microcosms containing 0.22 micron membrane filtered fresh or estuarine water, exhibited differences in persistence as a function of exposure treatment. Decreasing the concentration of or eliminating indoxyl-beta-D-glucoside from mE did not significantly affect recovery of purified isolates.

Bacteriological Techniques↗
PubMed1988

Survival of Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. in estuarine environments.

Survival of Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. in estuarine waters was compared over a variety of seasonal temperatures during in situ exposure in diffusion chambers. Sublethal stress was measured by both selective-versus-resuscitative enumeration procedures and an electrochemical detection method. E. coli and Salmonella spp. test suspensions, prepared to minimize sublethal injury, were exposed in a shallow tidal creek and at a site 7.1 km further downriver. Bacterial die-off and sublethal stress in filtered estuarine water were inversely related to water temperature. Salmonella spp. populations exhibited significantly less die-off and stress than did E. coli at water temperatures of less than 10 degrees C. Although the most pronounced reductions (ca. 3 log units) in test bacteria occurred during seasonally warm temperatures in the presence of the autochthonous microbiota, 10(2) to 10(4) test cells per ml remained after 2 weeks of exposure to temperatures of greater than 15 degrees C. Reductions in test bacteria were associated with increases in the densities of microflagellates and plaque-forming microorganisms. These studies demonstrated the survival potential of enteric bacteria in estuarine waters and showed that survival was a function of interacting biological and physical factors.

Escherichia coli↗
PubMed1983

In situ development of sublethal stress in Escherichia coli: effects on enumeration.

Development of sublethal stress in Escherichia coli exposed in situ to estuarine waters was examined during various seasons. An electrochemical detection technique was utilized to derive a stress index based upon the difference between a predicted electrochemical response time in Trypticase soy broth or EC medium at 44.5 degrees C estimated from a standard curve for unstressed cells and an observed response time for cells exposed to seawater. This stress index was related to recovery efficiencies of seawater-exposed cells, using a variety of standard and resuscitative enumeration procedures. Stress was further studied by determination of the adenylate energy charge. Sublethal stress as measured by the electrochemical detection method was an inverse function of water temperature, with maximum stress occurring after exposure to temperatures below 10 degrees C. Total adenylates and ATP decreased dramatically at low temperatures, although energy charge remained relatively constant under various environmental conditions. Decreases in E. coli ATP suggest that ATP may not be an adequate measure of biomass for in situ stressed cells. Discrepancies in enumeration efficiency were most pronounced at temperatures below 10 degrees C. Resuscitative procedures for solid-media techniques increased the recovery of stressed cells under cold water conditions but were not as effective as the standard most-probable-number procedure.

Adenosine Monophosphate↗
PubMed1983

Seasonal variation in survival of Escherichia coli exposed in situ in membrane diffusion chambers containing filtered and nonfiltered estuarine water.

Human fecal Escherichia coli isolates were exposed over a seasonal cycle to estuarine water in diffusion chambers filled with double-filtered (0.45 and 0.2 microns) and nonfiltered water. Laboratory manipulations of E. coli cultures before estuarine exposure were reduced to minimize sublethal stress, and nonselective or resuscitative enumeration techniques were employed to maximize recovery of stressed cells. E. coli was capable of extended survival during in situ exposure to estuarine water, provided eucaryotes were excluded from diffusion chambers. Survival was directly related to temperature in absence of the eucaryote component of the natural microbiota. Although it was not possible to prevent eventual bacterial contamination in double-filtered water, there was no direct evidence that such contamination affected E. coli survival. Conversely, E. coli disappearance was most pronounced at warmer temperatures in the presence of the natural microbiota, and decline coincided with increasing eucaryote densities. In contrast, the decline of E. coli during winter was similar in both filtered and nonfiltered seawater.

Escherichia coli↗