1

Impacts of climate change on water hygiene

and pathogens in German waterways

- „Non-Cholera“ Vibrio spp. – Emerging pathogens in the German Bight?

Simone Böer, Nicole Brennholt, Georg Reifferscheid

German Federal Institute of Hydrology

Katrin Luden, Ernst-August Heinemeyer

Governmental Institute of Public Health of Lower Saxony

Vibrio spp. occurrence and disease

Fecal contamination of water:

• V. cholerae O:1, O:139

• Cholera (diarrhea, dehydration)

• Ingestion of contaminated water

• UN; Zimbabwe August ´08 until May ´09

97,070 infected people, 4230 deathsUnited Nations

Good sanitary conditions and infrastructure

Natural occurrence in the marine environment:

• e.g. V. parahaemolyticus: most common causative organism of diarrheal

infections in Southeast Asia (China 31%, Japan 20-30%, Taiwan 69%); 4500

reports in the USA

• e.g. V. vulnificus: 1998-2007, 900 reported cases in the USA

Natural occurrence in the marine environment:

• e.g. V. parahaemolyticus: most common causative organism of diarrheal

infections in Southeast Asia (China 31%, Japan 20-30%, Taiwan 69%); 4500

reports in the USA

• e.g. V. vulnificus: 1998-2007, 900 reported cases in the USA

2

Possible routes of transmission

Fish processing/ bathing and wading in sea water

in the presence of skin lesions and open wounds

Wound infections, ear and eye infections,

necrosis, sepsis

Consumption of raw or half-cooked seafood (fish,

mussels, lobster, shrimp…)

Gastroenteritis, primary septicemia

Risk factors: • chronic diseases

• higher age

yesBaltic Sea5V. vulnificus/

V. alginolyticus/

V. parahaemolyticus

Germany2010

2008

2006

2004

2003

2002

1994

Year

Germany

The Netherlands

Poland

Sweden

Denmark

Germany

Sweden

Germany

Germany

Sweden

Denmark

Germany

Country

V. vulnificus

V. alginolyticus/

V. parahaemolyticus

V. alginolyticus

V. cholerae

non-O1/non-O139

V. cholerae

non-O1/non-O139

V. alginolyticus

V. parahaemolyticus

V. vulnificus

V. vulnificus

V. cholerae

non-O1/non-O139

V. vulnificus

V. vulnificus

V. vulnificus

V. vulnificus

V. vulnificus

Vibrio spp.

1

1

3

2

3

7

7

1

3

1

2

1

1

11

1

No. of

cases

Baltic Sea

North Sea

Inland lake

Old fountain

Baltic Sea

Baltic Sea

Baltic Sea

Baltic Sea water

Baltic Sea

Baltic Sea

Baltic Sea

Sea water

Baltic Sea

Presumptive source

of infection

yes

yes

yes

no

yes

yes

yes

not specified

yes

not specified

not specified

not specified

not specified

Agent identified in

presumptive source?

Vibrio spp. infections after water contact in Northern Europe

3

• Do potentially pathogenic Vibrio spp. occur at bathing sites

along the North Sea coast and within the adjacent

estuaries?

• How does the occurrence and abundance of potentially

pathogenic Vibrio spp. relate to temperature?

• Are there „hot spots“ of Vibrio spp. occurrence?

Vibrio-monitoring in the German North Sea

Research questions

North

Sea

German Bight

Germany

Study area

4

Study area

Norderney

Norddeich

Borkum

Dyksterhusen

Burhave Duhnen

Dorum

Wremen

BremerhavenDedesdorf

Neßmersiel

• water and sediment samples taken monthly

• samples tested for V. vulnificus, V. parahaemolyticus,

V. alginolyticus, V. Cholerae occurrence

Effect of temperature on V. alginolyticus &V. parahaemolyticus occurrence

Sept.

Oct.

Nov

.

Dec

.Ja

n.Fe

b.

Mar

chApr

.M

ayJu

n.Ju

l.

Aug.

% p

ositiv

ely

teste

d w

ate

r sa

mp

les

0

20

40

60

80

100

Wa

ter

tem

pera

ture

[°C

]

-5

0

5

10

15

20

25

V. alginolyticus

V. parahaemolyticus

Water temperature

Sept.

Oct.

Nov

.

Dec

.Ja

n.Feb

.

Mar

chApr

.M

ayJu

n.Ju

l.

Aug.

% p

ositiv

ely

te

ste

d w

ate

r sam

ple

s

0

20

40

60

80

100

Wate

r te

mpe

ratu

re [

°C]

-5

0

5

10

15

20

25

V. alginolyticus

V. parahaemolyticus

Water temperature

• V. alginolyticus and V. parahaemolyticus more frequently found

at high temperatures than at low temperatures

• Temperature effect stronger on V. parahaemolyticus than on

V. alginolyticus

• Temperature effect stronger in water than in sediments

5

Positive V. alginolyticus & V. parahaemolyticus proofs

Percentage of samples positively tested for Vibrio alginolyticus

according to sampling sites

0

20

40

60

80

100

Nor

ddeich

Nor

dern

ey

Bor

kum

Neß

mer

siel

Dyk

ster

huse

n

Duh

nen

Dor

um

Wre

men

Bur

have

Bre

mer

have

n

Ded

esdo

rf

% p

ositi

vely

teste

d s

am

ple

s

Sediment Water

Percentage of samples positively tested for Vibrio parahaemolyticus

according to sampling sites

0

20

40

60

80

100

Nor

ddeich

Nor

dern

ey

Bor

kum

Neß

mer

siel

Dyk

ster

huse

n

Duh

nen

Dor

um

Wre

men

Burha

ve

Brem

erha

ven

Ded

esdo

rf

% p

ositi

vely

teste

d s

am

ple

s

Sediment Water

• V. alginolyticus more frequently found than V. parahaemolyticus

• V. alginolyticus and V. parahaemolyticus more frequently found in

sediment samples than in water samples

• lower frequency (and abundances) at sites strongly influenced by

fresh or offshore waters

Mean Vibrio spec. concentrations in water samples

September 2009 - August 2010

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

Nord

deic

h

Nord

erney

Bork

um

Neß

mer

siel

Dyk

ster

husen

Duhn

en

Doru

m

Wre

men

Burh

ave

Bre

mer

haven

Ded

esdorf

Ba

cte

ria

/ 1

00

ml

Vibrio alginolyticus Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Mean Vibrio spec. concentrations in sediment samples

September 2009 - August 2010

0

4000

8000

12000

16000

Nord

deich

Nor

derney

Borkum

Neßmer

siel

Dyks

terh

usen

Duhne

n

Doru

m

Wre

men

Burhave

Bre

merh

aven

Dede

sdor

f

Bacte

ria/ 100 g

Vibrio alginolyticus Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Positive V. alginolyticus & V. parahaemolyticus proofs

6

Effect of water temperatureon V. vulnificus occurrence

Effect of water temperature on positive Vibrio vulnificus proofs

in water samples

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.Ja

n.

Feb.

Mar

.Apr

.M

ayJu

n.Ju

l.

Aug.

Sampling month 2009-2010

No

. o

f p

osit

ive p

roo

fs

0

5

10

15

20

25

Me

an

wate

r te

mp

. [°

C]

V. vulnificus proofs Water temperature

Effect of water temperature on positive Vibrio vulnificus proofs

in sediment samples

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.Ja

n.

Feb.

Mar

.Apr

.M

ayJu

n.Ju

l.

Aug.

Sampling month 2009-2010

No

. o

f p

os

itiv

e p

roo

fs

0

5

10

15

20

25

Me

an

wate

r te

mp

. [°

C]

V. vulnificus proofs Water temperature

• Positive Vibrio vulnificus proofs only at water temperatures ~20°C

V. vulnificus „hot-spots“

Norderney

Norddeich

Borkum

Dyksterhusen

Burhave Duhnen

Dorum

Wremen

BremerhavenDedesdorf

Neßmersiel

7

Dyksterhusen

Burhave

Wremen

BremerhavenDedesdorf

V. vulnificus „hot-spots“

Effect of salinity on V. vulnificus occurrence

Dedesdorf

Bremerhaven

Wremen

Burhave

Dyksterhusen

8

Dyksterhusen

Burhave

Wremen

BremerhavenDedesdorf

• July and/or August 2010

• ~20°C water temperature

• <100 V. vulnificus/ 100 ml water

• up to 110000 V. vulnificus/ 100 g

sediment

V. vulnificus „hot-spots“

Summary

• V.alginolyticus and V. parahaemolyticus found at all 11

sampling sites at all seasons

• V. alginolyticus > V. parahaemolyticus

• V. alginolyticus/ V. parahaemolyticus highest at intermediate

salinities

• V. vulnificus only found at estuarine sites at temperatures

~20°C

• abundancies: sediments > water

9

Thank you for your attention!

www.kliwas.de

Simone Böer

German Federal Institute of Hydrology

Boeer@bafg.de

+49 261 1306-5291

Departmental Research Programme

� National Meteorological Service of Germany (DWD)

� German Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH)

� German Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG)

� German Federal Waterways Engineering and Research Institute (BAW)

www.textbookofbacteriology.net/VV.jpeg

Characteristics of pathogenic Vibrio spp. in the marine environment

Vibrio spp. that are potentially pathogenic to humans:

• Family: Vibrionaceae

• Genus: Vibrio

• Gram-negative, curved rod-shape

• Facultative anaerobe, halophilic

• Natural part of marine bacterial communities

• Salt water (Sea water, coastal waters, estuaries, saline inland lakes

• Sediment, plankton

• Marine fish and crustaceans

safeoysters.org/images/modes_art1.jpg

10

V. vulnificus occurrence at theGerman Baltic Sea coast

2006/2007

Salinity > 5 ‰ (10-30 ‰)Water temperature > 20 °C

Global warming

Regional change of the yearly mean temperature for the period 2071-2100 compared to 1961-1990 according to IPCC

scenario A2. Source: Climate Change 2007, Working Group I: The Science of Climate Change, Summary for Policymakers

Expected global temperature increase until 2100: 1-6°C

1.4°C water temperature increase in the North Sea and Baltic Sea

between 1985-2000 (MacKenzie & Schiedek 2007)

11

Hsueh et al. 2004. Emerging Infectious Diseases. Vol. 10. No. 8. 1363-1368

Nair et al. 2007. Clin Microbiol Rev. Vol. 20 (1). 39-48

1. Increasing global trade of fishing products and seafood due to

growing demand (increasing distribution of contaminated seafood)

2. Global warming (increase in the abundance of Vibrio spp. that are

potentially pathogenic to humans in coastal waters and marine

organisms)

Worldwide growing importance of Vibrio

spp. infections