NOTICE

www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/rodsites/0400537.htm May 31, 2000. 50. Peters, Frank. 2000. Personal Communication. Stauffer Management Company, Hockessin, DE. 51. Bernier, R.L., Gray, N.C.C., and L.E. Moser. 1997. Compost decontamination of DDT contaminated soil. US Patent #5,660,612. www.uspto.gov/patft/index.html. July 12, 2000. 52. U.S. EPA. No date. EPA Source Site Description: Helena Chemical Company (Tampa Plant)

Differences in Hyporheic-Zone Microbial Community Structure along a Heavy-Metal Contamination Gradient

The hyporheic zone of a river is nonphotic, has steep chemical and redox gradients, and has a heterotrophic food web based on the consumption of organic carbon entrained from downwelling surface water or from upwelling groundwater. The microbial communities in the hyporheic zone are an important component of these heterotrophic food webs and perform essential functions in lotic ecosystems. Using a suite of methods (denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, 16S rRNA phylogeny, phospholipid fatty acid analysis, direct microscopic enumeration, and quantitative PCR), we compared the microbial communities inhabiting the hyporheic zone of six different river sites that encompass a wide range of sediment metal loads resulting from large base-metal mining activity in the region. There was no correlation between sediment metal content and the total hyporheic microbial biomass present within each site. However, microbial community structure showed a significant linear relationship with the sediment metal loads. The abundances of four phylogenetic groups (groups I, II, III, and IV) most closely related to α-, β-, and γ-proteobacteria and the cyanobacteria, respectively, were determined. The sediment metal content gradient was positively correlated with group III abundance and negatively correlated with group II abundance. No correlation was apparent with regard to group I or IV abundance. This is the first documentation of a relationship between fluvially deposited heavy-metal contamination and hyporheic microbial community structure. The information presented here may be useful in predicting long-term effects of heavy-metal contamination in streams and provides a basis for further studies of metal effects on hyporheic microbial communities

Seasonal Dynamics of Shallow-Hyporheic-Zone Microbial Community Structure along a Heavy-Metal Contamination Gradient

Heavy metals contaminate numerous freshwater streams and rivers worldwide. Previous work by this group demonstrated a relationship between the structure of hyporheic microbial communities and the fluvial deposition of heavy metals along a contamination gradient during the fall season. Seasonal variation has been documented in microbial communities in numerous terrestrial and aquatic environments, including the hyporheic zone. The current study was designed to assess whether relationships between hyporheic microbial community structure and heavy-metal contamination vary seasonally by monitoring community structure along a heavy-metal contamination gradient for more than a year. No relationship between total bacterial abundance and heavy metals was observed (R(2) = 0.02, P = 0.83). However, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis pattern analysis indicated a strong and consistent linear relationship between the difference in microbial community composition (populations present) and the difference in the heavy metal content of hyporheic sediments throughout the year (R(2) = 0.58, P < 0.001). Correlations between heavy-metal contamination and the abundance of four specific phylogenetic groups (most closely related to the α, β, and γ-proteobacteria and cyanobacteria) were apparent only during the fall and early winter, when the majority of organic matter is deposited into regional streams. These seasonal data suggest that the abundance of susceptible populations responds to heavy metals primarily during seasons when the potential for growth is highest

Hyporheic Microbial Community Development is a Sensitive Indicator of Metal Contamination

Accurate natural resource damage assessment necessitates monitoring organisms or communities that respond most sensitively to contaminants. Observational studies have demonstrated a correlation between fluvial heavy metal deposition and hyporheic microbial community structure. To establish a causal relationship between sediment metal content and the structure of colonizing bacterial communities, we performed a controlled field experiment. River sediments of 1.75−2.36 mm in diameter with five different contaminant concentrations were collected from an environmental metal contamination gradient. Sediments were sterilized and then recolonized by incubation in the hyporheic zone of an uncontaminated river (i.e., a common garden experiment was performed). A significant correlation between hyporheic microbial community structure and heavy metal contamination (R2 = 0.81) was observed. The abundance of two phylogenetic groups was highly correlated with the level of heavy metal contamination (Group I, R2 = 0.96; Group III, R2 = 0.96, most closely affiliated with the α- and γ-proteobacteria, respectively). Microbial community structural responses were detected at metal concentrations an order of magnitude lower than those previously reported to impact benthic macroinvertebrate communities. We conclude that hyporheic microbial communities could offer the most sensitive method for assessing natural resource damage in lotic ecosystems in response to fluvial heavy metal deposition

Sentinel Surveillance System Implementation and Evaluation for SARS-CoV-2 Genomic Data, Washington, USA, 2020–2021

Genomic data provides useful information for public health practice, particularly when combined with epidemiologic data. However, sampling bias is a concern because inferences from nonrandom data can be misleading. In March 2021, the Washington State Department of Health, USA, partnered with submitting and sequencing laboratories to establish sentinel surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 genomic data. We analyzed available genomic and epidemiologic data during presentinel and sentinel periods to assess representativeness and timeliness of availability. Genomic data during the presentinel period was largely unrepresentative of all COVID-19 cases. Data available during the sentinel period improved representativeness for age, death from COVID-19, outbreak association, long-term care facility–affiliated status, and geographic coverage; timeliness of data availability and captured viral diversity also improved. Hospitalized cases were underrepresented, indicating a need to increase inpatient sampling. Our analysis emphasizes the need to understand and quantify sampling bias in phylogenetic studies and continue evaluation and improvement of public health surveillance systems

Associations between SARS-CoV-2 variants and risk of COVID-19 hospitalization among confirmed cases in Washington State: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic is dominated by variant viruses; the resulting impact on disease severity remains unclear. Using a retrospective cohort study, we assessed the hospitalization risk following infection with seven SARS-CoV-2 variants. METHODS: Our study includes individuals with positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR in the Washington Disease Reporting System with available viral genome data, from December 1, 2020 to January 14, 2022. The analysis was restricted to cases with specimens collected through sentinel surveillance. Using a Cox proportional hazards model with mixed effects, we estimated hazard ratios (HR) for hospitalization risk following infection with a variant, adjusting for age, sex, calendar week, and vaccination. FINDINGS: 58,848 cases were sequenced through sentinel surveillance, of which 1705 (2.9%) were hospitalized due to COVID-19. Higher hospitalization risk was found for infections with Gamma (HR 3.20, 95%CI 2.40-4.26), Beta (HR 2.85, 95%CI 1.56-5.23), Delta (HR 2.28 95%CI 1.56-3.34) or Alpha (HR 1.64, 95%CI 1.29-2.07) compared to infections with ancestral lineages; Omicron (HR 0.92, 95%CI 0.56-1.52) showed no significant difference in risk. Following Alpha, Gamma, or Delta infection, unvaccinated patients show higher hospitalization risk, while vaccinated patients show no significant difference in risk, both compared to unvaccinated, ancestral lineage cases. Hospitalization risk following Omicron infection is lower with vaccination. CONCLUSION: Infection with Alpha, Gamma, or Delta results in a higher hospitalization risk, with vaccination attenuating that risk. Our findings support hospital preparedness, vaccination, and genomic surveillance