Abstract

In the past century, pollution and invasive species have plagued North American freshwater ecosystems. Recent reports state that fecal contamination has resulted in Escherichia coli outbreaks in Sacramento’s American River. The Asiatic clam (Corbicula fluminea) has devastated North American freshwater ecosystems for its great filtering abilities that outclass native species. This study was conducted to better understand the effects C. fluminea on freshwater ecosystems and the microbial contents of the American River. Among coliform bacteria, E. coli were estimated to comprise roughly 4.3% of detected coliforms in sample river water. Western blotting was conducted to successfully detect P-gp among gill tissue proteins in tested clams, which are associated with the tolerance of C. fluminea to polluted conditions due to their function in xenobiotic resistance. P-gp was detected at different relative abundancies in two Asiatic clams.