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Response of Escherichia coli O157:H7 survival to pH of cultivated soils

  • SOILS, SEC 5 • SOIL AND LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY • RESEARCH ARTICLE
  • Published:
Journal of Soils and Sediments Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7 survival dynamics in original and pH-modified agricultural soils were investigated to determinate how E. coli O157:H7 survival responded to the pH values of different soils, identify the relationships between E. coli O157:H7 survival time (t d ) and soil properties, and assess the potential pathogen contamination after soil pH changed.

Materials and methods

The six soil samples were collected from different provinces of China, and 18 pH-modified soil samples were obtained from original soils by treating the original soils with direct electric current. The E. coli O157:H7 cells were inoculated into 24 soils and incubated at soil moisture of −33 kPa and 25 °C. The soils were sampled for determining the numbers of E. coli O157:H7 at given time intervals over the incubation. The effects of soil pH change and other properties on the t d values were analyzed.

Results and discussion

The t d values in the test soils were between 7.1—24.7 days. Results indicate that soil pH, texture, and free Fe2O3 (Fed) were the most important factors impacting the t d values in the test soils. Further, the response of E. coli O157:H7 survival to pH change varied with different soils. In the acidic soils (shorter t d values), the t d values decreased as the pH decreased and Fed increased, while in the neutral or alkaline soils (pH ≥ 6.45, longer t d values), the t d values did not change significantly with pH.

Conclusions

The changes of amorphous and free sesquioxides induced by pH change might strengthen the response of E. coli O157:H7 survival to soil pH. Closer attention should be paid to E. coli O157:H7 long survival in soils and its potential environmental contamination risk.

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by the Major Program of National Natural Science Foundation of China (41130532) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (40971255).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Soil and Water Resources and Environmental Science, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Subtropical Soil and Plant Nutrition, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China

    Haizhen Z. Wang, Gang Wei, Zhiyuan Y. Yao, Jun Lou, Kongcao C. Xiao, Laosheng S. Wu, Jianjun J. Wu & Jianming M. Xu

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  1. Haizhen Z. Wang
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  2. Gang Wei
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  3. Zhiyuan Y. Yao
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  4. Jun Lou
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  5. Kongcao C. Xiao
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  6. Laosheng S. Wu
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  7. Jianjun J. Wu
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  8. Jianming M. Xu
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Correspondence to Haizhen Z. Wang or Jianming M. Xu.

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Responsible editor: Yanfen Wang

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Wang, H.Z., Wei, G., Yao, Z.Y. et al. Response of Escherichia coli O157:H7 survival to pH of cultivated soils. J Soils Sediments 14, 1841–1849 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-014-0944-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-014-0944-y

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