Recovery of a marker strain of Salmonella typhimurium in litter and aerosols from isolation rooms containing infected chickens

Abstract

Screening of poultry flocks for foodborne pathogen Salmonella contamination is critical for Salmonella control in preharvest stages of poultry production. In this study, two sampling methods (litter and air filter) were compared for detection of S. typhimurium from experimentally infected chicks some of which had received either a probiotic competitive exclusion culture or transfer of cecal contents from salmonellae‐free adult birds. At 4, 9, and 11 days after inoculation, S. typhimurium samples were enumerated by selective plating. For both types of sampling, the control birds yielded the greatest levels of environmental contamination followed by the samples from the probiotic inoculated birds with the birds receiving the cecal transfer culture having the lowest levels of contamination. Although the two sampling methods responded in a similar fashion, detection sensitivity needs to be increased for air filter sampling.     

Estimation of sampling uncertainty for determination of pesticide residues in plant commodities

In order to provide residue data for refining the estimated sampling uncertainty, a coordinated research program was initiated for performing field studies on residues in individual items of leafy vegetables, small and large crops. The trials were carried out in 13 countries with 3 small fruits, 5 large crops, 2 medium/large crops and 3 leafy vegetables. The 25 pesticide active ingredients applied represented the dicarboximide (3), organophosphorus (8), synthetic pyrethroids (5), phthalimides (2), organochlorine (1) and other types of pesticides (6). In addition, 11 supervised field trials were performed in grapes and lettuce by the pesticide manufacturers, and their results were provided for evaluation. The studies represented actual agriculture practice around the world, and provide reliable data for estimation of sampling uncertainty. Based on the 12346 residue data, the best estimate for the relative sampling uncertainty for composite samples, assuming sample size of 10 for small crops and leafy vegetables and 5 for large crops, with 95% confidence limits in brackets are: small commodities: 0.25 (0.20–0.29); Brassica leafy vegetables: 0.20 (0.16–0.24); large commodities: 0.33 (0.29–0.38).     

不同粒径泥沙理化特性对磷吸附过程的影响

以北京大兴南海子湖表层沉积物为研究对象,测试分析了0.147～0.246 mm(细砂)、0.074～0.147 mm(极细砂)、0.0385～0.0740 mm(粉粒)和<0.0385 mm(粉粒粘粒混合物)4种粒径泥沙对磷的吸附行为,并采用相关分析及逐步回归分析探讨不同粒径沉积物中有机质(OM)、Fe、Al、Ca、Mn和TP含量对磷吸附过程的影响。结果表明,二级动力学方程和Langmuir模型能较好地描述南海子不同粒径泥沙的吸附动力学及等温吸附过程(R2>0.90)。粒径对单位质量泥沙吸附磷量具有明显影响,粉粒粘粒混合物>粉粒>细砂>极细砂。总体上,泥沙有机质(OM)、TP、Fe、Al、Ca和Mn含量随粒径的减小而增大,且粘粒对其影响较大。不同粒径泥沙(OM)、Fe、Al、Ca和Mn含量之间存在极显著正相关关系(P<0.01),且均对单位质量泥沙最大吸附量(Xm)和饱和吸附量(Cse)具有正效应,其中Al含量对该参数的影响更为显著。这说明泥沙对磷的吸附行为可能受到粒径和化学成分的共同影响。     

改善环保疏浚底泥脱水干化效能的实验研究

采用以硫酸亚铁(FeSO4)为主要成分的复合脱水剂作为疏浚泥浆脱水剂(以下简称脱水剂),黄沙、炉渣、煤灰、石灰和粉煤灰分别作为疏浚底泥干化改良剂进行实验研究。结果表明,在脱水剂投加量为100 mg/L条件下,可以提高沉淀效率约20%;在投加脱水剂及5%石灰、粉煤灰、炉渣改良剂的条件下,底泥比阻值下降50%～70%;初期渗水速率提高6%～68%;与原泥相比,以黄沙、炉渣、煤灰为改良剂的底泥,经过4个月干化期后,承载力提高了30%～150%。本研究为疏浚底泥快速脱水干化提供了一种可行的技术途径。     

Ex situ remediation of contaminated sediments using mineral additives: assessment of pollutant bioavailability with the Microtox solid phase test

The aim of this work is to assess the potential ecotoxicological effects of contaminated sediments treated with mineral additives. The Microtox solid phase test was used to evaluate the effect of mineral additives on the toxicity of sediment suspensions. Four Mediterranean port sediments were studied after dredging and bioremediation: Sample A from navy harbor, sample B from commercial port and samples C and D from pleasure ports. Sediment samples were stabilized with three mineral additives: hematite, zero-valent iron and zeolite. Results show that all studied mineral additives can act as stabilizer agent in highly contaminated sediments (A and C) by decreasing dissolved metal concentrations and sediment toxicity level. On the contrary, for the less contaminated samples (B and D) hematite and zeolite can provoke toxic effect towards Vibrio fischeri since additive particles can favor bacteria retention and decrease bioluminescence emission.     

Assessment of DDT and mercury levels in fish and sediments in the Iriri River,Brazil: Distribution and ecological risk

Abstract

In order to assess the risk of exposure of human populations to dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and mercury, muscles of five fish species were analysed, along with the surface sediment of 14 Iriri River sampling sites. The fish specimens were sacrificed by the spinal section, prior to sex identification, body weight determination and total length. Considering the fish specimens studied, 11% of them showed concentrations of mercury higher than the maximum established by the World Health Organization for safe human consumption. A positive correlation between fish body weight and mercury concentration was observed, besides a positive correlation between the fish size and Hg concentration. Significant differences (P?<?0.05) were found between mean concentrations of DDT and metabolites among species of fish studied. In the Plagioscion squamossissimus species, the highest concentration of total DDT (151.4?ng/g) was found, while in Eugerres Brasilianus species, the lowest. However, the DDT levels in fish muscle of studied species are below the maximum set by FAO-Alimentarius CODEX. In the sediments, total DDT ranged from 11.58?ng/g to 48.4?ng/g, which is associated with the historical DDT use in the Amazon. According to sediment quality guidelines, these levels have a moderate toxic effect in almost all of the studied region.     

三垟湿地沉积物-间隙水-上覆水界面磷形态研究

沉积物与上覆水间营养物质交换,成为导致水体发生富营养化的首要化学变迁过程.分别在三垟湿地的柑橘林(S1)、景观用地(S2)和生活用地(S3)取样,研究了沉积物-间隙水-上覆水界面磷形态以及相互关系.结果表明:(1)沉积物TP增加时,间隙水PO3-4和可溶性总磷(TDP)也增加.要削减磷在上覆水中的含量,控制间隙水PO3-4或TDP是一良策.(2)随着沉积物铁磷、铝磷的增加,间隙水PO3-4也增加.在三垟湿地沉积物中,铁磷和铝磷含量都可作为间隙水PO34-含量的指示.(3)S1、S2和S3的沉积物活性磷、间隙水TDP和上覆水TDP存在明显的浓度梯度,沉积物活性磷＞间隙水TDP＞上覆水TDP.说明在三垟湿地中,沉积物活性磷是磷释放的关键因子,而沉积物-间隙水界面则是磷释放的关键界面.     

北运河表层沉积物对重金属Cu、Pb、Zn的吸附

首先分析了北运河6个采样点表层沉积物中重金属含量及相关基本特征。通过实验室模拟实验,利用分配系数Kd评价沉积物对重金属Cu、Pb、Zn的吸附特性,进一步考察了水体pH变化和有机质对重金属在北运河沉积物上吸附的影响。结果表明,沉积物中重金属的含量顺序为Zn>Cu>Pb,去除有机质后,沉积物对重金属的吸附能力显著降低,但各采样点中的重金属含量,沉积物对重金属吸附能力,以及沉积物中的有机质含量并没有明显相关性,这可能是因为不同采样点中有机质种类与结构不同导致的。总之,北运河沉积物对Pb有很强的吸附能力,其次是Cu和Zn,而且,Cu、Zn、Pb的吸附量随着pH的升高逐渐增大,水体pH值对于Zn的吸附影响更大。     

曝气和pH对城市污染河道底泥氮形态的影响

以城市重污染河道表层沉积物为研究对象,采用模拟实验方法,探讨了不同曝气方式(水曝气和泥曝气)、上覆水初始pH(自然状态pH=7和pH=11)对城市污染河道底泥氮形态的影响。结果表明:采用水曝气+pH11方式对城市重污染河道上覆水、间隙水中总氮去除率分别为70.03%和44.66%;泥曝气+pH7方式对上覆水、间隙水、底泥中氨氮去除率分别为94.31%、84.07%和68.29%;底泥pH与上覆水总氮浓度呈正相关(p<0.05);泥曝气+pH11方式使底泥含水率、烧失率明显升高,继而影响各形态氮在泥水系统中的赋存,其中底泥吸附态氨氮含量与底泥含水率呈显著负相关(p<0.01),间隙水可溶态氨氮浓度与底泥烧失率显著正相关(p<0.01)。     

Characterization of distribution of pesticide residues in crop units

The characteristic features of distribution of pesticide residues in crop units and single sample increments were studied based on more than 19,000 residue concentrations measured in root vegetables, leafy vegetables, small-, medium- and large-size fruits representing 20 different crops and 46 pesticides. Log-normal, gamma and Weibull distributions were found to provide the best fit for the relative frequency distributions of individual residue data sets. The overall best fit was provided by lognormal distribution. The relative standard deviation of residues (CV) in various crops ranged from 15–170%. The 100–120 residue values being in one data set was too small to identify potential effects of various factors such as the chemical and physical properties of pesticides and the nature of crops. Therefore, the average of CV values, obtained from individual data sets, were calculated and considered to be the best estimate for the likely variability of unit crop residues for treated field (CV = 0.8) and market samples (CV = 1.1), respectively. The larger variation of residues in market samples was attributed to the potential mixing of lots and varying proportion of non-detects. The expectable average variability of residues in composited samples can be calculated from the typical values taking into account the sample size.