ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Environ. Sci.

Sec. Toxicology, Pollution and the Environment

Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2025.1593899

ETEC in aquatic ecosystems Occurrence of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in the aquatic environment and impact of climatic factors

Provisionally accepted
Fatema-Tuz  JohuraFatema-Tuz Johura1Marzia  SultanaMarzia Sultana2Jade  LewisJade Lewis1Abdus  SadiqueAbdus Sadique2David  Allen SackDavid Allen Sack1Richard  B SackRichard B Sack1Munirul  AlamMunirul Alam1Subhra  ChakrabortySubhra Chakraborty1*
  • 1International Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, United States
  • 2International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research (ICDDR), Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

The prevalence of ETEC in the environment could be influenced by environmental factors, which may contribute to seasonal outbreaks. This study assessed the seasonal prevalence of the ETEC population in water bodies in relation to ecological changes in Bangladesh.The presence of ETEC in water, plankton, and sediment samples collected from water bodies in Mathbaria, a southern coastal region, was investigated using quantitative PCR (qPCR) and an extensive culture method over a year. Concurrently, the physico-chemical parameters of the water were measured. We also tested aquatic samples from Chhatak, a northern hilly region.Results: ETEC was detected in a high proportion (56% to 78%) in water, plankton, and sediment samples from both sites. In Mathbaria, higher abundance of ETEC was noted in fall and spring, followed by summer and lowest in the monsoon. ETEC positivity was high in winter by qPCR, but no viable ETEC could be isolated. Environmental conditions such as neutral to low alkaline pH, elevated dissolved oxygen levels, and warmer water temperatures showed a trend of association with increased ETEC prevalence.The persistence of ETEC in environmental water and their association with ecologic factors may help to explain seasonal illnesses in people.Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is a primary bacterial source of diarrhea among children under 5 in low-and middle-income countries, and in older people and it is a significant contributor to traveler's diarrhea.

Keywords: Enterotoxigenic E. coli, environment, climate, Ecological parameters, Bangladesh

Received: 17 Mar 2025; Accepted: 30 Jun 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Johura, Sultana, Lewis, Sadique, Sack, Sack, Alam and Chakraborty. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Subhra Chakraborty, International Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, United States

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