Differential Rates of Digestion of Bacteria by Freshwater and Marine Phagotrophic Protozoa

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Differential decreases over time of two bacterial species, Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis, in a freshwater and a marine ecosystem were observed and explained by a differential rate of digestion of these bacteria by phagotrophic flagellates and ciliates. For this purpose, fluorescence-labeled bacteria (FLB) were used and prepared from the two species cited above. The number of FLB was observed for 5 days in fresh and marine waters in the presence or absence (0.2-μm-pore-size-filtered water) of natural microbiota. These experiments showed a longer persistence of Enterococcus faecalis FLB as opposed to Escherichia coli FLB in the presence of natural microbiota. Removal of FLB was due to protozoan grazing because no decrease of FLB number was observed in the absence of natural microbiota. In short-term (about 40 min) ingestion experiments, we found similar clearance rates of Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis FLB by assemblages of flagellates from the freshwater and the marine ecosystem and by cultured assemblages of ciliates from the marine ecosystem. Clearance rates of Enterococcus faecalis FLB were greater than those of Escherichia coli FLB for assemblages of ciliates from the freshwater ecosystem. Comparison of rates of ingestion and digestion of FLB by protozoa showed that Escherichia coli FLB were digested and ingested at similar rates. However, Enterococcus faecalis FLB were digested slower than they were ingested. These results suggest that a longer persistence of Enterococcus faecalis as opposed to Escherichia coli can be explained by a differential digestion by flagellates and ciliates in aquatic ecosystems. Moreover, rates of ingestion and digestion were strongly correlated for both FLB types.

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