Investigating levels of Vibrio bacteria in the Netherlands

Vibrio is just one type of bacteria that we are investigating in BlueAdapt. Vibrio is a type of bacteria that can cause disease in humans, cholera being a well-known example.

In The Netherlands, the climate is temperate where the species of Vibrio that causes cholera can’t grow. However, other species of Vibrio that do grow here could be a potential health risk.

Franco Forlano is one of BlueAdapt’s PhD students specialising in environmental microbiology. He works for Deltares, a Dutch not-for-profit research institute dedicated to keeping aquatic environments safe, sustainable and habitable. We asked Franco to update us on his investigations.

“We believe that environmental changes caused by the climate can increase the risks of illness caused by certain types of Vibrio bacteria. This is due to warmer temperatures which can increase the growth of bacteria. Algal blooms, which are also expected to increase in warmer temperatures, provide food and shelter for these bacteria. This creates ideal conditions where Vibrio can grow. Our research intends to pinpoint exactly how these climatic changes will increase health risks and help us to understand the interactions between Vibrio and algal blooms.

“I’m working alongside Douwe Maat (an environmental microbiologist at Deltares) to take sediment samples from Lake Grevelingen, a brackish estuary in the south-west of The Netherlands. Our findings will be used by Hao Wang (a PhD student at Deltares) to build a digital prediction model based on eutrophication, harmful algal blooms, and pathogenic risks in watersheds, estuarine, and coastal areas. This will help us to predict future impacts of climate change.”

Lake Grevelingen has shellfish farms and popular bathing water sites where people come into contact with the water, making it an ideal site for sampling.

“First, we need to find out what bacteria exists in the water. We’ll be monitoring water and sediment samples for 12 months, looking specifically for Vibrio species that cause human illness and the factors that cause the bacteria to spread or decline.”

Collecting samples requires careful preparation. First, Franco and the team plan the locations, materials and logistics. On the day of collection, the samples need to be taken from precise locations, and as quickly as possible to start the analysis. This can take more than 14 hours.

“It’s quite beautiful being outdoors collecting samples. When I was getting into the water, I thought to myself: ‘it’s Tuesday morning and I’m getting into the sea to take samples, and this is my job!’. That made me smile because we’ve spent many months in the lab preparing, so it definitely felt like a reward!”

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About the researcher:

For BlueAdapt, Franco is studying bacterial coastal pathogens to better understand the interactions between Vibrio species and algal blooms.

“I’ve lived most of my life in cities next to the coast. Now that I live in The Netherlands, I do miss the Mediterranean landscape. I went many times on holiday to the beach with friends and family. We spent time there, played games or had dinner at sunset. I think that these nice experiences are an extra motivation for me to help keep these landscapes safe for the enjoyment of others.”