Diversity, sources, and detection of human bacterial pathogens in the marine environment

Disease outbreaks in marine organisms appear to be escalating worldwide (Harvell et al., 1999, 2002) and a growing number of human bacterial infections have been associated with recreational and commercial uses of marine resources (Tamplin, 2001). Whether these increases reflect better reporting or global trends is a subject of active research (reviewed in Harvell et al., 1999, 2002; Rose et al., 2001; Lipp et al., 2002); however, in light of heightened human dependence on marine environments for fisheries, aquaculture, waste disposal, and recreation, the potential for pathogen emergence from ocean ecosystems requires investigation.