Detection, Quantification, and Identification of Enteric Bacteria in the Upper Hudson River

Authors: Emma Gentile, Wendi Quidort, Katherine Murtagh, Heather Barrett, Wesley O'Leary, Elizabeth Nichols

SUNY Campus: Hudson Valley Community College

Presentation Type: Poster

Location: Old Union Hall

Presentation #: 26

Timeslot: Session C 1:45-2:45 PM

Abstract: The quality of the water in the Hudson River has been a topic of concern for decades. The river runs through multiple densely populated areas consisting of over 8 million people. Additionally, approximately 15% of the river basin is used for agriculture receiving roughly 18- 24 inches of annual runoff. Most antibiotics sold in the U.S are used for animal agriculturemeaning that there is a serious risk for antibiotic resistant bacteria being created due to this runoff. This study creates a record of existing bacterial load within the upper Hudson River, a catalog of gram-negative enteric bacteria found and addresses the risk of increasing antibiotic resistance among enteric bacteria. The student researchers at Hudson Valley Community College have sampled water from four sites within Albany, Rensselaer and Warren County. From each site, six quarts of surface water were collected in sterile containers, membrane filtered on selective media to select for Gram-negative enteric bacteria and incubated at 37.0 degrees Celsius for approximately 24 hours. To further create identifying profiles for the isolated bacteria found, biochemical and differential agar testing was conducted. Data analysis has confirmed the presence of Salmonella, Shigella, and E. Coli isolates from each of the sites. Infectious diseases caused by these bacteria lead to thousands of hospitalizations yearly. Hence, it is important to assess the antibiotic resistance of these isolates.