RAPID: Mobilization and transport of microbial contaminants along Texas waterways following Hurricane Harvey

哈维飓风对德克萨斯州东南部的污水基础设施造成了前所未有的破坏，导致污水污染排放到地表水中，并有可能使人类广泛接触微生物病原体。该提案旨在了解人类暴露于病原体的可能性，并评估飓风哈维期间废水排放的程度。研究期间测量的运输和其他因素将进行比较，目的是建立一个预测框架，以评估严重洪水后的废水污染。调查将集中在德克萨斯州东南部和中下游农村地区的小城镇，以提供有关污水泄漏对小城镇水质影响的急需数据。本研究的假设是，在哈维期间和之后，污水溢出和雨水径流向德克萨斯州水道释放了高水平的潜在致病生物。这一假设将通过评估德克萨斯州东南部和中下游农村地区受洪水影响的地表水中粪便指示细菌、人类线粒体DNA和选定的人类病原体的存在、丰度和命运来验证。具体测量包括定量分析粪便指示生物（大肠杆菌、肠球菌和人类特异性拟杆菌），以及水和沉积物样品中的人类线粒体DNA （mtDNA）和选定的人类病原体（大肠杆菌O157:H7、弯曲杆菌、弧菌）。该项目将通过使用人类mtDNA作为粪便污染的直接测量，促进对粪便源跟踪的基本理解，并扩大对粪便指标的理解，从而识别沿海和地表水中的粪便污染源。

Part I Project Significance and ImportanceHurricane Harvey has caused unprecedented damage to wastewater infrastructure in southeastern Texas, resulting in the release of sewage contamination into surface waters and the potential for widespread microbial pathogen exposure to humans. This proposal seeks to understand the potential for human exposure to pathogens and assess the extent of wastewater releases during Hurricane Harvey. Comparisons of transport and other factors measured during the study will be made with the objective of building a predictive framework for assessing wastewater contamination following severe flooding. The investigation will focus on smaller towns in southeast and lower central Texas rural locations to provide much needed and urgent data on the effects of sewage spillages on the water quality of smaller towns.Part II Technical DescriptionThe hypothesis of this research is that sewage overflows and stormwater runoff during and after Harvey have released high levels of potentially pathogenic organisms into Texas waterways. This hypothesis will be tested by evaluating the presence, abundance and fate of fecal indicator bacteria, human mitochondrial DNA and selected human pathogens in flood-impacted surface waters in southeast and lower central Texas rural locations. Specific measurements include the quantitative analysis of fecal indicator organisms (E. coli, Enterococci, and Human-specific Bacteroidales), together with human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and selected human pathogens (E. coli O157:H7, Campylobacter spp., Vibrio spp.) in water and sediment samples. This project will advance fundamental understanding of fecal source tracking and expand the understanding of fecal indicators for identifying sources of fecal contamination in coastal and surface waters through the use of human mtDNA as a direct measure of fecal contamination.