Microbial sediment interaction: influence on the erosion, transport and fate of pathogens in aquatic environments

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The transport and fate of pathogens can be highly influenced by their relationship with suspended and bed sediment particles. Specifically, the pathogen relationship with flocculated particles (composite particles that are held together by physical, chemical and biological means) is important as this association is central to controlling the mobility of pathogens within the aquatic environment and often results in the downward flux of pathogens to the bed sediment. As pathogens can live for prolonged periods within sediments, it may represent a reservoir of pathogens for subsequent remobilization and transport to potentially high risk areas. As such, pathogen dynamics are likely to be strongly linked to aquatic sediment dynamics. It is suggested that the growth and survival of pathogens within aquatic sediments should be of concern to public health officials because of the potential contribution of pathogens to the water column from this source. Current sampling strategies by health departments are based on an assumption that bacteria are entirely planktonic (free-floating) and do not account for the significant concentration of bacteria in sedimentary compartments and the influence that different energy regimes (e.g. currents and waves) may have on pathogen mobilization. There is the potential that this may lead to an inaccurate estimate of risk posed to public health by pathogens and that consideration may be warranted for the possible modification of sampling strategies to reflect the pathogen/sediment association.