Skip to main content
Log in

Demonstration of an optical biosensor for the detection of faecal indicator bacteria in freshwater and coastal bathing areas

  • Communication
  • Published:
Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

ColiSense, an early warning system developed for Escherichia coli detection, is assessed using environmental samples. The system relies on the detection of β-glucuronidase (GUS), a biomarker enzyme for E. coli. In contrast with other rapid GUS-based methods, ColiSense is the only method that uses 6-chloro-4-methyl-umbelliferyl-β-d-glucuronide (6-CMUG) as a fluorogenic substrate. The system measures a direct kinetic response of extracted GUS, and the detection was carried out in the absence of particles or bacteria. It is necessary to evaluate the system with environmental samples to establish the relationship between faecal indicator bacteria E. coli and the response measured by the ColiSense. This paper presents the results of tests carried out with the ColiSense system for 2 trials, one conducted with freshwater samples collected from rivers in the Dublin area and a second conducted with seawater samples from coastal areas collected over the bathing season. A positive linear correlation was found between E. coli (MPN 100 mL−1) and ColiSense response (R2 = 0.85, N = 125, p < 0.01) for the seawater sample. A ColiSense response threshold was identified as 0–1.8 pmol min−1 100 mL−1, equivalent to 0–500 E. coli 100 mL−1. Using this threshold, 96.8% of the samples were correctly classified as being above or below 500 E. coli 100 mL−1 by the ColiSense system. Results presented demonstrate that the ColiSense system can be used as an early warning tool with potential for active management of bathing areas by providing results in 75 min from sample collection.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

References

  1. EU. Directive 2006/7/EC of The European Parliament and of The Council of 15th February 2006 concerning the management of bathing water quality. Off J Eur Union. 2006;64:37–51.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Fiksdal L, Tryland I. Application of rapid enzyme assay techniques for monitoring of microbial water quality. Curr Opin Biotechnol. 2008;19(3):289–94.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Baudart J, Servais P, De Paoli H, Henry A, Lebaron P. Rapid enumeration of Escherichia coli in marine bathing waters: potential interference of nontarget bacteria. J Appl Microbiol. 2009;107(6):2054–62.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Henry A, Scherpereel G, Brown RS, Baudart J, Servais P, Ben TNC. Comparison of rapid methods for active bathing water quality monitoring. 2012

  5. Noble RT, Weisberg R, Weisberg SB. A review of technologies for rapid detection of bacteria in recreational waters. J Water Heal. 2005;3(4):381–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Rompré A, Servais P, Baudart J, De-Roubin M-RR, Laurent P. Detection and enumeration of coliforms in drinking water: current methods and emerging approaches. J Microbiol Methods. 2002;49(1):31–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Martins MT, Rivera IG, Clark DL, Stewart MH, Wolfe RL, Olson BH. Distribution of uidA gene sequences in Escherichia coli isolates in water sources and comparison with the expression of beta-glucuronidase activity in 4-methylumbelliferyl-beta-D-glucuronide media. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1993;59(7):2271–6.

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  8. Wu J, Stewart JR, Sobsey MD, Cormency C, Fisher MB, Bartram JK. Rapid detection of Escherichia coli in water using sample concentration and optimized enzymatic hydrolysis of chromogenic substrates. Curr Microbiol. 2018;75(7):827–34. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-018-1454-8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Liang W-J, Wilson KJ, Xie H, Knol J, Suzuki S, Rutherford NG, et al. The gusBC genes of Escherichia coli encode a glucuronide transport system. J Bacteriol. 2005;187(7):2377–85.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Garcia-Armisen T, Lebaron P, Servais P. β-D-glucuronidase activity assay to assess viable Escherichia coli abundance in freshwaters. Lett Appl Microbiol. 2005;40(4):278–82.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Pisciotta JM, Rath DF, Stanek PA, Flanery DM, Harwood VJ. Marine bacteria cause false-positive results in the Colilert-18 rapid identification test for Escherichia coli in Florida waters. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2003 Feb;68(2):539–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Davies CM, Apte SC, Peterson SM, Stauber JL. Plant and algal interference in bacterial 3-D-galactosidase and, 3-D-glucuronidase assays. 1994;60(11):3959–64.

  13. Caruso G, Crisafi E, Mancuso M. Development of an enzyme assay for rapid assessment of Escherichia coli in seawaters. J Appl Microbiol. 2002;93(4):548–56.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Farnleitner AH, Hocke L, Beiwl C, Kavka GC, Zechmeister T, Kirschner AKT, et al. Rapid enzymatic detection of Escherichia coli contamination in polluted river water. Lett Appl Microbiol. 2001;33(3):246–50.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. George I, Petit M, Servais P. Use of enzymatic methods for rapid enumeration of coliforms in freshwaters. J Appl Microbiol. 2001;88(3):404–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Ryzinska-Paier G, Lendenfeld T, Correa K, Stadler P, Blaschke AP, Mach RL, Stadler H, Kirschner, AK, Farnleitner AH. A sensitive and robust method for automated on-line monitoring of enzymatic activities in water and water resources. Water Sci Technol. 2014 [cited 2019 Mar 30];69(6):1349–58. Available from: https://iwaponline.com/wst/article-pdf/69/6/1349/472402/1349.pdf.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Stadler P, Blöschl G, Nemeth L, Oismüller M, Kumpan M, Krampe J, Farnleitner AH, Zessner, M. Event-transport of beta-d-glucuronidase in an agricultural headwater stream: assessment of seasonal patterns by on-line enzymatic activity measurements and environmental isotopes. Sci Total Environ. 2019 [cited 2019 Mar 30];662:236–45. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969719301603.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Stadler P, Blöschl G, Vogl W, Koschelnik J, Epp M, Lackner M, Oismüller M, Kumpan M, Nemeth L, Strauss P, Sommer R, Ryzinska-Paier G, Farnleitner AH, Zessner M. Real-time monitoring of beta-d-glucuronidase activity in sediment laden streams: a comparison of prototypes. Water Res. 2016 [cited 2019 Mar 28];101:252–61. Available from: https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0043135416303980.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Burnet J-BB, Dinh QT, Imbeault S, Servais P, Dorner S, Prévost M. Autonomous online measurement of Β-D-glucuronidase activity in surface water: is it suitable for rapid E. coli monitoring? Water Res. 2019 [cited 2019 Mar 28];152:241–50. Available from: https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0043135419300211.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Heery B, Briciu-Burghina C, Zhang D, Duffy G, Brabazon D, O’Connor N, Regan F. ColiSense, today’s sample today: a rapid on-site detection of β-d-Glucuronidase activity in surface water as a surrogate for E. coli. Talanta. 2016 [cited 2019 Mar 26];148:75–83. Available from: https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0039914015304008.

  21. Briciu-Burghina C, Heery B, Regan F. Protocol for the recovery and detection of Escherichia coli in environmental water samples. Anal Chim Acta. 2017;964:178–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aca.2017.02.035.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Briciu-Burghina C, Heery B, Regan F. Continuous fluorometric method for measuring β-glucuronidase activity: comparative analysis of three fluorogenic substrates. Analyst. 2015;140(17):5953–64.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Ciprian Briciu-Burghina. Development and deployment of a faecal matter sensor for marine and freshwater environments. Dublin City University; 2016 [cited 2019 Jul 1]. Available from: http://doras.dcu.ie/21032/1/Ciprian_Briciu-Burghina_PhD_Thesis.pdf.

  24. Fiksdal L, Pommepuy M, Caprais M-PP, Midttun I. Monitoring of fecal pollution in coastal waters by use of rapid enzymatic techniques. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1994;60(5):1581–4.

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  25. George I, Anzil A, Servais P. Quantification of fecal coliform inputs to aquatic systems through soil leaching. Water Res. 2004;38(3):611–8.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Servais P, Garcia-Armisen T, Lepeuple AS, Lebaron P. An early warning method to detect faecal contamination of river waters. Ann Microbiol. 2005;55(2):151–6.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Farnleitner AH, Hocke L, Beiwl C, Kavka GG, Mach RL. Hydrolysis of 4-methylumbelliferyl- β-d-glucuronide in differing sample fractions of river waters and its implication for the detection of fecal pollution. Water Res. 2002;36(4):975–81.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Lebaron P, Henry A, Lepeuple A-S, Pena G, Servais P. An operational method for the real-time monitoring of E. coli numbers in bathing waters. Mar Pollut Bull. 2005;50(6):652–9.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Ender A, Goeppert N, Grimmeisen F, Goldscheider N. Evaluation of β-D-glucuronidase and particle-size distribution for microbiological water quality monitoring in Northern Vietnam. Sci Total Environ. 2017 [cited 2019 Mar 28];580:996–1006. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.12.054.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Jenkins MB, Fisher DS, Endale DM, Adams P. Comparative die-off of Escherichia coli 0157:H7 and fecal indicator bacteria in pond water. Environ Sci Technol. 2011 [cited 2019 Mar 28];45(5):1853–8. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1021/es1032019.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Fingal City Council team (George Sharpson, Martin A. Daly, Orla P. Haldon, Louise McIntyre, and Sinead Clarke) for facilitating the testing during a busy bathing season, for providing the bathing water samples, and for sharing the microbiological laboratory results.

Funding

This work was performed as part of a Feasibility Study for an Innovation Partnership Programme IP/2016/0437/Y and was funded by Enterprise Ireland and Fingal City Council.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fiona Regan.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Published in the topical collection New Developments in Biosensors with guest editors Francesco Baldini and Maria Minunni.

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Briciu-Burghina, C., Heery, B., Duffy, G. et al. Demonstration of an optical biosensor for the detection of faecal indicator bacteria in freshwater and coastal bathing areas. Anal Bioanal Chem 411, 7637–7643 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-019-02182-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-019-02182-6

Keywords

Navigation