Sewage Impacts on Water Quality and Antibiotic Resistance in Beach Waters in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Public Deposited- Last Modified
- February 26, 2019
- Creator
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Overbey, Katie
- Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Curriculum in Environment and Ecology, Environmental Studies
- Abstract
- Tourism and residential population growth are increasing on the Galápagos Islands, yet the effects on environmental quality are not well understood. This study provides a baseline characterization of water quality on one of the inhabited islands of the Galápagos (San Cristóbal), and evaluates the potential relationship between human activity and bacterial antibiotic resistance in recreational waters on this island. Five sample beaches and the mouths of two sewage effluent pipes were selected to represent recreational water with and without the presence of sewage effluent. Enterococci concentrations were quantified using the IDEXX Enterolert kit. Escherichia coli was isolated from samples and tested for susceptibility to five antibiotics using Kirby- Bauer disk diffusion. These measurements were compared between beaches with sewage effluent and beaches without sewage effluent. Significantly higher enterococci concentrations were found near sites subjected to sewage discharge (p < 0.01). Sites of direct sewage discharge and land drainage from the highlands had significantly higher levels of antibiotic resistant bacteria though it is unclear whether sewage impacts the level of resistance at nearby beaches (p < 0.05). The high levels of enterococci and antibiotic resistance observed in this study indicate that the release of raw sewage into recreational waters could be putting the environment as well as public health at risk. This study provides insight into how humans impact their environment in an area where economic and developmental demands compete with environmental and public health concerns.
- Date of publication
- spring 2014
- Keyword
- DOI
- Resource type
- Rights statement
- In Copyright
- Note
- Funding: UNC Center for Global Initiatives Vimy Global Team Award, UNC Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship
- Advisor
- Stewart, Jill
- Degree
- Bachelor of Science
- Honors level
- Highest Honors
- Degree granting institution
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Extent
- 44
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