US-UK Cooperative Research: Strategies For Assessment and Control of Parasitological Water Quality

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This award will support collaborative research in environmental engineering between Dr. Joan Rose, University of South Florida and Dr. Jeni Colbourne, Thames Water Authority, New River Head Laboratories, London, England. The objectives of the project are to develop strategies for assessing the occurence and concentrations of enteric protozoa in potable water supplies, and then to apply risk assessment models for the development of control approaches for water engineers in the US and UK. Recently, two large waterborne outbreaks of Cryptosporidium have occured in the US and the UK in water systems which treat the water by coagulation, filtration and disinfection in the absence of any violation of standards. The proposed research will evaluate protozoan contamination (Cryptosporidium in particular) of the Thames Water Authority's catchment basin, comparing gene probe technology to immunofluorescent techniques. Specifically, the investigators will: 1) compare gene probes for rapid detection of cysts to the immunofluorescent techniques currently used for water samples collected during a survey of catchment basin, 2) evaluate the capability of the various treatments to remove Cryptosporidium cysts and Giardia cysts, and 3) apply a risk assessment model based on cyst concentrations in source waters and potential treatment to define the health impact. The results of this research will promote communication on a common problem facing the water industry, assist in developing and standardizing procedures for assessing environmental protozoan contamination and define appropriate treatment approaches which will help eliminate waterborne Cryptosporidisis. The project will benefir from the complementary expertise of the two, investigators: Dr. Rose has had significant involvement with surveys for Cryptosporidium and Giardia in water, as well as with the development of immunoflourescent techniques. Dr. Colbourne has developed standardized procedures for parasite recovery and detection.