Hydrologic transport of fecal bacteria attenuated by flue gas desulfurization gypsum.

Flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum is a byproduct of coal-fired power plants. Its application to agricultural fields may increase water infiltration, reduce soil erosion, and decrease nutrient losses from applications of animal manures. It may also reduce fecal bacterial contamination of surface waters. We tested the hypothesis that FGD gypsum applications would decrease the load of and the fecal indicator bacterium from poultry litter applications. Two rainfall simulation experiments were undertaken: one in spring 2009 and one in spring 2011. Six treatments consisted of four rates of FGD gypsum (0, 2.2, 4.5, and 9.0 Mg ha) with poultry litter (13.5 Mg ha and two controls) in a randomized, complete-block design with three replications. Each replicate 4- × 6-m plot contained a single 1- × 2-m subplot that was delineated by metal plates and a flume that captured total overland flow or runoff. Rainfall was applied at ∼64 mm h. Volume of overland runoff was measured and subsampled for analysis every 10 min for 1 h. Flow-weighted concentrations, total loads, and soil concentrations of were determined. was not detected in runoff. No significant differences between treatments were observed for the 2009 rainfall simulation. However, after 3 yr of FGD gypsum applications, the highest rate of FGD gypsum resulted in decreased flow-weighted concentrations and total loads of . Flue gas desulfurization gypsum applications may be a management practice that reduces microbial contamination of surface waters from manure applied to agricultural fields in the southeastern United States.

Most probable number methodology for quantifying dilute concentrations and fluxes of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in surface waters.

AIMS: To better understand the transport and enumeration of dilute densities of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in agricultural watersheds, we developed a culture-based, five tube-multiple dilution most probable number (MPN) method. METHODS AND RESULTS: The MPN method combined a filtration technique for large volumes of surface water with standard selective media, biochemical and immunological tests, and a TaqMan confirmation step. This method determined E. coli O157:H7 concentrations as low as 0.1 MPN per litre, with a 95% confidence level of 0.01-0.7 MPN per litre. Escherichia coli O157:H7 densities ranged from not detectable to 9 MPN per litre for pond inflow, from not detectable to 0.9 MPN per litre for pond outflow and from not detectable to 8.3 MPN per litre for within pond. The MPN methodology was extended to mass flux determinations. Fluxes of E. coli O157:H7 ranged from <27 to >10(4) MPN per hour. CONCLUSION: This culture-based method can detect small numbers of viable/culturable E. coli O157:H7 in surface waters of watersheds containing animal agriculture and wildlife. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This MPN method will improve our understanding of the transport and fate of E. coli O157:H7 in agricultural watersheds, and can be the basis of collections of environmental E. coli O157:H7.

Most probable number methodology for quantifying dilute concentrations and fluxes of Salmonella in surface waters.

AIMS: To better understand and manage the fate and transport of Salmonella in agricultural watersheds, we developed a culture-based, five tube-four dilution most probable number (MPN) method for enumerating dilute densities of Salmonella in environmental waters. METHODS AND RESULTS: The MPN method was a combination of a filtration technique for large sample volumes of environmental water, standard selective media for Salmonella and a TaqMan confirmation step. This method has determined the density of Salmonella in 20-l samples of pond inflow and outflow streams as low as 0.1 MPN l(-1) and a low 95% confidence level 0.015 MPN l(-1). Salmonella densities ranged from not detectable to 0.55 MPN l(-1) for pond inflow samples and from not detectable to 3.4 MPN l(-1) for pond outflow samples. Salmonella densities of pond inflow samples were associated with densities of Escherichia coli and faecal enterococci that indicated stream contamination with faeces and with nondetectable pond outflow densities of the faecal indicator bacteria. The MPN methodology was extended to flux determinations by integrating with volumetric measurements of pond inflow (mean flux of 2.5 l s(-1)) and outflow (mean flux of 5.6 l s(-1)). Fluxes of Salmonella ranged from 100 to greater than 10(4) MPN h(-1). CONCLUSIONS: This is a culture-based method that can detect small numbers of Salmonella in environmental waters of watersheds containing animal husbandry and wildlife. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Applying this method to environmental waters will improve our understanding of the transport and fate of Salmonella in agricultural watersheds, and can be the basis of valuable collections of environmental Salmonella.

Sorption and transport of 17beta-estradiol and testosterone in undisturbed soil columns.

Land-applied domestic animal wastes contain appreciable amounts of 17beta-estradiol (henceforth, estradiol) and testosterone. These sex hormones may be transported through soil to groundwater and streams, where they may adversely affect the environment. Previous column transport studies with these hormones used repacked soil and did not consider preferential flow. We, therefore, determined the sorption and transport characteristics of estradiol and testosterone in undisturbed soil columns (15-cm i.d. by 32-cm height). In the sorption experiment, isotherms for estradiol and testosterone were nonlinear with Freundlich exponents (n) less than one. Sorption of both hormones decreased with soil depth, and estradiol sorbed more strongly than testosterone. Average estradiol Freundlich sorption coefficients (K(f)) values were 36.9 microg(1 - n) mL(n) g(-1) for the 0- to 10-cm soil depth and 25.7 microg(1 - n) mL(n) g(-1) for the 20- to 30-cm soil depth. Average testosterone K(f) values were 26.7 microg(1 - n) mL(n) g(-1) for the 0- to 10-cm soil depth and 14.0 microg(1 - n) mL(n) g(-1) for the 20- to 30-cm soil depth. In the transport experiment, 27% of the estradiol and 42% of the testosterone leached through the soil columns. Approximately 50% of the remaining soil-bound hormones were sorbed in the top 10 cm of soil. In almost all instances, breakthrough concentrations of estradiol, testosterone, and a chloride tracer peaked simultaneously. Simultaneous breakthrough and HYDRUS-1D transport parameters indicated both chemical and physical nonequilibrium processes affected hormone transport. This suggests hormones placed on soil surfaces may contaminate groundwater under conditions of preferential flow.

Ammonia volatilization from surface-applied poultry litter under conservation tillage management practices.

Land application of poultry litter can provide essential plant nutrients for crop production, but ammonia (NH(3)) volatilization from the litter can be detrimental to the environment. A multiseason study was conducted to quantify NH(3) volatilization rates from surface-applied poultry litter under no-till and paraplowed conservation tillage managements. Litter was applied to supply 90 to 140 kg N ha(-1). Evaluation of NH(3) volatilization was determined using gas concentrations and the flux-gradient gas transport technique using the momentum balance transport coefficient. Ammonia fluxes ranged from 3.3 to 24% of the total N applied during the winter and summer, respectively. Ammonia volatilization was rapid immediately after litter application and stopped within 7 to 8 d. Precipitation of 17 mm essentially halted volatilization, probably by transporting litter N into the soil matrix. Application of poultry to conservation-tilled cropland immediately before rainfall events would reduce N losses to the atmosphere but could also increase NO(3) leaching and runoff to streams and rivers.

Putative temporal variability of Escherichia coli ribotypes from yearling steers.

Escherichia coli is a ubiquitous component of the intestinal microflora of warm-blooded animals, and is an indicator of fecal contamination of surface waters. Ribotype profiling of E. coli is one of several genotypic methods that has been developed to determine the host origin of fecal bacteria. Like most genotypic methods of source tracking, ribotyping requires a host origin database to identify environmental isolates. To determine the extent of temporal variability of ribotypes and its effect on a host origin database, E. coli isolates were obtained from fecal samples of two herds of Black Angus steers at a long-term experimental site at four sampling times from October 1999 to July 2000. Fecal samples were taken from six randomly chosen steers at each time. At a similarity index of 90% as calculated by unweighted pair-group method using arithmetic averages (UPGMA), 240 ribotypes were identified from 451 E. coli isolates. Only 20 ribotypes (8.3%), comprising 33% of the total isolates, were shared among sampling times and were considered resident ribotypes. Two of the twenty resident ribotypes appeared at three sampling times, and the remaining eighteen appeared at two. The majority of the ribotypes, therefore, were transient and unique to each sampling time and steer. Both the apparent turnover of E. coli ribotypes and a clonal diversity index of 0.97 (indicative of extensive ribotype variability) suggest the necessity of ribotyping a large number E. coli isolates per host to establish a host origin database that is independent of temporal variability, or complete enough to be effective.

Characterization of a Sinorhizobium isolate and its extracellular polymer implicated in pollutant transport in soil.

A bacterium isolated from soil (designated 9702-M4) synthesizes an extracellular polymer that facilitates the transport of such hydrophobic pollutants as polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, as well as the toxic metals lead and cadmium in soil. Biolog analysis, growth rate determinations, and percent G+C content identify 9702-M4 as a strain of Sinorhizobium meliloti. Sequence analysis of a 16S rDNA fragment gives 9702-M4 a phylogenetic designation most closely related to Sinorhizobium fredii. The extracellular polymer of isolate 9702-M4 is composed of both an extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) and a rough lipopolysaccharide. The EPS component is composed mainly of 4-glucose linkages with monomers of galactose, mannose, and glucuronic acid and has pyruval and acetyl constituents. The lipid fraction and the negative charge associated with carbonyl groups of the exopolymer are thought to account for the binding of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons and cationic metals.

Chemical and physical factors affecting the excystation of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts.

Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts were examined to ascertain excystation requirements and the effects of gamma irradiation. Oocysts and excysted sporozoites were examined for dye permeability and infectivity. Maximum excystation occurred when oocysts were pretreated with acid and incubated with bile salts, and potassium or sodium bicarbonate. Pretreatment with Hanks' balanced salt solution or NaCl lowered excystation; however, this effect was overcome with acid. Sodium ions were replaceable with potassium ions, and sodium bicarbonate was replaceable with sodium phosphate. Oocysts that received 200 krad irradiation excysted at the same rates as nonirradiated oocysts (95%), the excystation rates were lowered (50%) by 2,000 krad, and no excystation was observed by 5,000 krad. No differences were observed between the propidium iodide (PI) permeability of untreated oocysts and oocysts treated with 200 krad, while 92% of oocysts were PI positive after 2,000 krad. Most of the sporozoites exposed to 2,000 krad were not viable as indicated by the dye permeability assay. The oocysts irradiated with 200 and 2,000 krad infected cells, but no replication was observed. The results suggest that gamma-irradiated oocysts may still be capable of excystation and apparent infection; however, because the sporozoites could not reproduce they must not have been viable.

Inactivation of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts in field soil.

Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts from dairy calves are believed to regularly contaminate watersheds. Identifying oocysts and measuring their viability in the natural environment are important elements in estimating the risk posed by this resistant organism. A 152 day field study was conducted to measure the viabilities of oocysts inoculated into 25 sampling points. Water potential, pH, and ammonium content were also measured at the same 25 sampling sites. A three-dimensional mapping program (Surfer) was used to create 3-D maps of the viabilities of C. parvum oocysts and other factors measured during the experiment. The results indicate that 3-D graphical presentation may be a useful means to identify potential sites of greatest risk of oocyst survival and could indicate areas where natural conditions are causing the most rapid oocyst inactivation, and this method can be a means for the future measurement of microorganism inactivation in the natural environment.

Use of a sentinel system for field measurements of Cryptosporidium parvum oocyst inactivation in soil and animal waste.

A small-volume sentinel chamber was developed to assess the effects of environmental stresses on survival of sucrose-Percoll-purified Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts in soil and animal wastes. Chambers were tested for their ability to equilibrate with external chemical and moisture conditions. Sentinel oocysts were then exposed to stresses of the external environment that affected their viability (potential infectivity), as indicated by results of a dye permeability assay. Preliminary laboratory experiments indicated that temperatures between 35 and 50 degrees C and decreases in soil water potential (-0.003 to -3.20 MPa) increased oocyst inactivation rates. The effects of two common animal waste management practices on oocyst survival were investigated on three dairy farms in Delaware County, N.Y., within the New York City watershed: (i) piling wastes from dairy youngstock (including neonatal calves) and (ii) spreading wastes as a soil amendment on an agricultural field. Sentinel containers filled with air-dried and sieved (2-mm mesh) youngstock waste or field soil were wetted and inoculated with 2 million oocysts in an aqueous suspension and then placed in waste piles on two different farms and in soil within a cropped field on one farm. Controls consisted of purified oocysts in either phosphate-buffered saline or distilled water contained in sealed microcentrifuge tubes. Two microdata loggers recorded the ambient temperature at each field site. Sentinel experiments were conducted during the fall and winter (1996 to 1997) and winter (1998). Sentinel containers and controls were removed at 2- to 4-week intervals, and oocysts were extracted and tested by the dye permeability assay. The proportions of potentially infective oocysts exposed to the soil and waste pile material decreased more rapidly than their counterpart controls exposed to buffer or water, indicating that factors other than temperature affected oocyst inactivation in the waste piles and soil. The effect of soil freeze-thaw cycles was evident in the large proportion of empty sentinel oocysts. The potentially infective sentinel oocysts were reduced to <1% while the proportions in controls did not decrease below 50% potentially infective during the first field experiment. Microscopic observations of empty oocyst fragments indicated that abrasive effects of soil particles were a factor in oocyst inactivation. A similar pattern was observed in a second field experiment at the same site.

Inactivation of Cryptosporidium parvum Oocysts by Ammonia.

The survival of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts in soil and water microhabitats may be affected by the environmental production and release of free ammonia. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of increasing free ammonia concentrations and times of exposure on oocyst viability. Wild-type oocysts were obtained from naturally infected calf feces by chemical (continuous-flow) centrifugation and sucrose gradients. Ammonia (NH(3)) from a commercial solution was applied in concentrations ranging from 0.007 to 0.148 M. Exposure times ranged from 10 min to 24 h at a constant temperature of 24 +/- 1 degrees C. Viability of oocysts was determined with a dye permeability assay and an in vitro excystation assay (M. B. Jenkins, L. J. Anguish, D. D. Bowman, M. J. Walker, and W. C. Ghiorse, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 63:3844-3850, 1997). Even the lowest concentration of ammonia decreased significantly the viability of oocysts after 24 h of exposure. Increasing concentrations of ammonia increased inactivation rates, which ranged from 0.014 to 0.066 h. At the highest concentration of ammonia, a small fraction of viable oocysts still remained. Exposure to pH levels corresponding to those associated with the ammonia concentrations showed minimal effects of alkaline pH alone on oocyst viability. This study shows that environmentally relevant concentrations of free ammonia may significantly increase the inactivation of oocysts in ammonia-containing environments.

Assessment of a dye permeability assay for determination of inactivation rates of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts.

The ability to determine inactivation rates of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts in environmental samples is critical for assessing the public health hazard of this gastrointestinal parasite in watersheds. We compared a dye permeability assay, which tests the differential uptake of the fluorochromes 4'-6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) and propidium iodide (PI) by the oocysts (A. T. Campbell, L. J. Robertson, and H. V. Smith, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 58:3488-3493, 1992), with an in vitro excystation assay, which tests their ability to excyst and, thus, their metabolic potential and potential for infectivity (J.B. Rose, H. Darbin, and C.P. Gerba, Water Sci. Technol. 20:271-276, 1988). Formaldehyde-fixed (killed) oocysts and untreated oocysts were permeabilized with sodium hypochlorite and subjected to both assays. The results of the dye permeability assays were the same, while the excystation assay showed that no excystation occurred in formaldehyde-fixed oocysts. This confirmed that oocyst wall permeability, rather than metabolic activity potential, was the basis of the dye permeability viability assessment. A previously developed protocol (L. J. Anguish and W. C. Ghiorse, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 63:724-733, 1997) for determining viability of oocysts in soil and sediment was used to examine further the use of oocyst permeability status as an indicator of oocyst viability in fecal material stored at 4 degrees C and in water at various temperatures. Most of the oocysts in fresh calf feces were found to be impermeable to the fluorochromes. They were also capable of excystation, as indicated by the in vitro excystation assay, and were infective, as indicated by a standard mouse infectivity assay. The dye permeability assay further showed that an increase in the intermediate population of oocysts permeable to DAPI but not to PI occurred over time. There was also a steady population of oocysts permeable to both dyes. Further experiments with purified oocysts suspended in distilled water showed that the shift in oocyst populations from impermeable to partially permeable to fully permeable was accelerated at temperatures above 4 degrees C. This sequence of oocyst permeability changes was taken as an indicator of the oocyst inactivation pathway. Using the dye permeability results, inactivation rates of oocysts in two fecal pools stored in the dark at 4 degrees C for 410 and 259 days were estimated to be 0.0040 and 0.0056 oocyst day-1, respectively. The excystation assay gave similar inactivation rates of 0.0046 and 0.0079 oocyst day-1. These results demonstrate the utility of the dye permeability assay as an indicator of potential viability and infectivity of oocysts, especially when combined with improved microscopic methods for detection of oocysts in soil, turbid water, and sediments.

Methanotrophic bacteria and facilitated transport of pollutants in aquifer material.

In situ stimulation of methanotrophic bacteria has been considered as a methodology for aquifer remediation. Chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons such as trichloroethylene are fortuitously oxidized by the methane monooxygenase produced by methanotrophic bacteria. Experimental results are presented that indicate that both colloidal suspensions containing methanotrophic cells and the soluble extracellular polymers produced by methanotrophic cells have the potential to enhance the transport and removal of other environmental contaminants such as polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons and transition metals in aquifer material. Three well-characterized methanotrophic bacteria were used in the experiments: Methylomonas albus BG8 (a type I methanotroph), Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b (a type II methanotroph), and Methylocystis parvus OBBP (a type II methanotroph). Isotherms were obtained for sorption of two radiolabeled pollutants, [C] phenanthrene and Cd, onto an aquifer sand in the presence and absence of washed cells and their extracellular polymer. Column transport experiments were performed with the washed methanotrophic cells and phenanthrene. The distribution coefficients for Cd with extracellular polymers were of the same order as that obtained with the aquifer sand, indicating that polymers from the methanotrophic bacteria could act to increase the transport of Cd in a porous medium. Polymer from BG8 significantly reduced the apparent distribution coefficient for Cd with an aquifer sand. [C] phenanthrene also sorbed to extracellular polymer and to washed, suspended methanotrophic cells. The exopolymer of BG8 and OBBP significantly reduced the apparent distribution coefficient (K(d)) for phenanthrene with aquifer sand. The distribution coefficients for phenanthrene with the methanotrophic cells were an order of magnitude greater than those previously reported for other heterotrophic bacteria. Cells of the methanotrophs also significantly reduced the apparent K(d) for phenanthrene with an aquifer sand. The three strains of methanotrophs tested displayed mobility in a column of packed sand, and strain OBBP reduced the retardation coefficient of phenanthrene with an aquifer sand by 27%. These data indicate that both extracellular polymer and mobile cells of methanotrophic bacteria display a capacity to facilitate the mobility of pollutant metals and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in aquifer material.

Mobile bacteria and transport of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in porous media.

Sorption of hydrophobic pollutants such as polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to soil and aquifer materials can severely retard their mobility and the time course of their removal. Because mobile colloids may enhance the mobility of hydrophobic pollutants in porous media and indigenous bacteria are generally colloidal in size, bacterial isolates from soil and subsurface environments were tested for their ability to enhance the transport of phenanthrene, a model PAH, in aquifer sand. Batch isotherm experiments were performed to measure the ability of selected bacteria, including 14 isolates from a manufactured gas plant waste site, to sorb 14C-phenanthrene and to determine whether the presence of the suspended cells would reduce the distribution coefficient (Kd) for phenanthrene with the sand. Column experiments were then used to test the mobility of isolates that reduced the Kd for phenanthrene and to test the most mobile isolate for its ability to enhance the transport of phenanthrene. All of the isolates tested passively sorbed phenanthrene, and most but not all of the isolates reduced the Kd for phenanthrene. Some, but not all, of those isolates were mobile in column experiments. The most mobile isolate significantly enhanced the transport of phenanthrene in aquifer sand, reducing its retardation coefficient by 25% at a cell concentration of approximately 5 x 10(7) ml-1. The experimental results demonstrated that mobile bacteria may enhance the transport of PAHs in the subsurface.

Clinical evaluation of a new chest tube used in neonates.

We report preliminary experience with a newly designed chest tube (JCT), for evacuation of neonatal pneumothorax. The catheter has a unique pigtail confirguration at the distal end, intended to simplify placement and minimize chest wall and lung trauma by reduced tube size and depth and insertion. Thirty-eight JCTs were placed in neonates with pneumothoraces. Neonates' birth weights ranged from 400 to 3,595 grams. All 38 tubes immediately relieved clinical signs of pneumothoraces. Thirty-five (92%) tubes immediately fully evacuated the pneumothoraces as evidences on chest radiograph. Twelve pneumothoraces partially reoccurred at a mean of 24 hours following JCT placement. These tubes were either irrigated or replaced. This newly configured chest tube functions effectively in the treatment of neonatal pneumothorax.

Characteristics of woodland rhizobial populations from surface- and deep-soil environments of the sonoran desert.

A collection of 74 rhizobial isolates recovered from nodules of the desert woody legumes Prosopis glandulosa, Psorothamnus spinosus, and Acacia constricta were characterized by using 61 nutritional and biochemical tests. We compared isolates from A. constricta and Prosopis glandulosa and tested the hypothesis that the rhizobia from a deep-phreatic rooting zone of a Prosopis woodland in the Sonoran Desert of southern California were phenetically distinct from rhizobia from surface soils. Cluster analysis identified four major homogeneous groups. The first phenon contained slow-growing (SG) Prosopis rhizobia from surface and deep-phreatic-soil environments. These isolates grew poorly on most of the media used in the study, probably because of their requirement for a high medium pH. The second group of isolates primarily contained SG Prosopis rhizobia from the deep-phreatic rooting environment and included two fast-growing (FG) Psorothamnus rhizobia. These isolates were nutritionally versatile and grew over a broad pH range. The third major phenon was composed mainly of FG Prosopis rhizobia from surface and dry subsurface soils. While these isolates used a restricted range of carbohydrates (including sucrose) as sole carbon sources, they showed better growth on a range of organic acids as sole carbon sources and amino acids as sole carbon and nitrogen sources than did other isolates in the study. They grew better at 36 degrees C than at 26 degrees C. The FG Acacia rhizobia from surface-soil environments formed a final major phenon that was distinct from the Prosopis isolates. They produced very high absorbance readings on all of the carbohydrates tested except sucrose, grew poorly on many of the other substrates tested, and preferred a 36 to a 26 degrees C incubation temperature. The surface populations of Prosopis rhizobia required a higher pH for growth and, under the conditions used in this study, were less tolerant of low solute potential and high growth temperature than were phreatic-soil isolates. SG Prosopis rhizobia from phreatic and surface soils were physiologically distinct, suggesting adaptation to their respective soil environments.

Congenital thyroxine binding globulin deficiency: incidence and inheritance.

Ninety-nine cases of thyroxine binding globulin (TBG) deficiency (90 males and 9 females) were identified among low-T4 infants after newborn hypothyroid screening. The data indicate that inherited TBG deficiency occurs in at least 1:5,000 newborns (1:2,800 males) and that mild and more pronounced forms are found in approximately equal proportions. Genetic analysis indicates that X-linked inheritance is the usual mode with no suggestion of autosomal inheritance.

Rhizobial Ecology of the Woody Legume Mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) in the Sonoran Desert.

Soil samples were collected from the surface (0 to 0.6 m) and phreatic (3.9 to 4.5 m) root systems of a Prosopis glandulosa woodland in the Sonoran Desert of southern California. P. glandulosa seedlings were inoculated with these soils, and rhizobia were isolated from nodules. The phreatic soil, characterized by constant moisture and temperature but low nutrient availability, favored slow-growing (SG) isolates as nodule occupants (85%). SG isolates from the surface and phreatic soil were distinct based on differences in colony morphology. Isolates from the surface soil, characterized by high nutrient availability and widely fluctuating water content and temperature, were equally represented by fast-growing and SG rhizobia. Most SG isolates (83%) had nodule relative efficiencies of <0.80, whereas 54% of the fast-growing isolates had relative efficiency values of >0.80.

Deletion of the proximal long arm of chromosome 3 in an infant with features of Turner syndrome.

A case of deletion of the proximal one-fourth of chromosome 3 long arm is described. While the Turner syndrome phenotype was present neonatally, the patient has no structural or numerical abnormality of the sex chromosomes, and thus may represent an autosomal deletion with a clinical picture similar to Turner syndrome. Her score on the Noonan syndrome index of Duncan et al. (1981) is 27%, making Noonan syndrome unlikely.