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

该奖项将支持南佛罗里达大学的Joan Rose博士和英国伦敦新河头实验室泰晤士水务局的Jeni Colbourne博士在环境工程方面的合作研究。该项目的目标是制定评估饮用水中肠道原生动物的发生率和浓度的策略，然后应用风险评估模型为美国和英国的水工程师开发控制方法。最近，在美国和英国的水系统中发生了两起大规模的隐孢子虫水传播疫情，这些水系统通过混凝、过滤和消毒处理水，没有任何违反标准的情况。拟议中的研究将评估泰晤士河水务局集水区的原生动物污染（特别是隐孢子虫），并将基因探针技术与免疫荧光技术进行比较。具体而言，调查人员将：1)比较快速检测包囊的基因探针与目前在流域调查中收集的水样中使用的免疫荧光技术；2)评估各种处理方法去除隐孢子虫包囊和贾第鞭毛虫包囊的能力；3)应用基于源水中囊肿浓度和潜在处理的风险评估模型来确定健康影响。这项研究的结果将促进对水工业面临的一个共同问题的交流，协助制定评估环境原生动物污染的程序并使其标准化，并确定有助于消除水生隐孢子虫病的适当处理方法。该项目将受益于这两位研究人员的互补专业知识：罗斯博士曾大量参与水中隐孢子虫和贾第鞭毛虫的调查，以及免疫荧光技术的开发。科尔伯恩博士制定了寄生虫恢复和检测的标准化程序。

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.