Detection of Human Pathogenic Viruses in Aquatic Environments Using the Polymerase Chain Reaction

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This is an award to support research on a technique to determine the presence, identity if present and numbers of pathogenic organisms, if present, in environmental waters. The technique is based on determination of the nature of the genetic material that is unique to the different target pathogens using an analytical procedure that amplifies the nucleic acid chain of the target organisms for ease of identification and quantification. The research involves concentration of the pathogens using a rotating membrane ultrafiltration medium and subsequent detection of the pathogens using the polymerase chain reaction procedure. This research addresses limitations of procedures currently used for determining the microbiological quality of an environmental water. These procedures depend on the analysis for surrogate microorganisms as a step toward establishing the significance of their presence. This project is a renewal of work initiated under NSF Small Grant for Exploratory Research No. 92-01324 results of which were utilized to develop the research plan for this project.