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Escherichia coli is a widespread bacterium in the intestines of warm-blooded animals and is employed as an indicator of fecal pollution. A total of 238 E. coli isolates from human sources (HS) and nonhuman sources (NHS) were gathered from the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve, from associated sewage treatment plants and directly from animals and tested for ribotype profile. It was observed that discriminant analysis of ribotype profiles may be a useful technique for identifying HS and NHS fecal pollution.

The association of multiple-antibiotic-resistance profiles with point and nonpoint sources of Escherichia coli in Apalachicola Bay was investigated using E. coli antibiotic resistance to differentiate point sources (PS) and nonpoint sources (NPS) pollution within the area. Results indicate that antibiotic resistance profile of E. coli is associated with its source of pollution. Furthermore, the level of antibiotic resistance among PS and NPS isolates is similar to those from urban and rural waters.