Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2007KY92B

The Link Between Metal Tolerance and Antibiotic Resistance in Fecal Coliforms

Institute: Kentucky
Year Established: 2007 Start Date: 2007-03-01 End Date: 2008-02-29
Total Federal Funds: $5,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $12,428

Principal Investigators: Rebecca Kelley

Project Summary: The antibiotic resistant profile of disease causing fecal coliforms is often used as an indicator of source of fecal contamination in surface waters. In the Ohio River and its major tributaries, however, antibiotic resistant coliforms were not obviously associated with either human sewage or domestic livestock. Some research suggests that trace metal exposure from sources such as industrial effluents can influence antibiotic resistance and make identifying the source of fecal contamination difficult. Industrial effluents are released to the Ohio River from major cities such as Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Louisville. Analyzing trace metal concentrations in Ohio River samples collected in conjunction with fecal coliform sampling will be an asset in locating prominent sources of fecal contamination. There are three main objectives to this study. First, to compare trace metal concentrations with the distribution of antibiotic resistant fecal coliforms. Second, to determine, through statistical analysis, what the relationship is between trace metal concentrations and antibiotic resistant fecal coliforms in Ohio River water. Third, to use the relationship between trace metals and antibiotic resistance to determine source(s) of fecal coliform contamination.