Mitochondrial DNA in the environment: towards the development of better animal-specific markers for fecal source tracking

许多来源可能会导致水和土壤的粪便污染。由于许多水生致病微生物都与粪便污染有关，因此在水质评估中监测此类污染对公众健康具有重要意义。事实上，地表水和地下水的粪便污染会对公众健康(饮用水)和当地经济(农业和娱乐活动)产生重大影响。水的微生物质量主要是使用粪便指示性生物，如大肠菌群进行监测。然而，这些指标并不能确定粪便物质的来源。已经开发了几种粪便来源追踪(FST)方法来解决宿主对粪便污染的特定贡献的问题。用聚合酶链式反应方法检测的宿主特异性遗传标记表明存在来自特定动物物种的粪便污染。这些遗传标记大多依赖于肠道(粪便)物质中与特定动物宿主相关的微生物的存在。尽管数量众多，但这些标记物都不是完全、足够特异和敏感的。因此，开发新的遗传标记和创新的FST方法是非常必要的。

Numerous sources can contribute to fecal contamination of water and soil. As many waterborne pathogenic microorganisms are associated with fecal pollution, monitoring such contamination in water quality assessments is of great importance for public health. Indeed, fecal pollution of surface water and groundwater can have a great impact on public health (drinking water) and local economy (agriculture and recreational activities). The microbiological quality of water is primarily monitored using fecal indicator organisms, such as coliforms. However, these indicators do not identify the source of the fecal matter. Several fecal source tracking (FST) methods have been developed to address the issue of host-specific contributions to fecal contamination. Host-specific genetic markers detected by PCR methods indicate the presence of fecal contamination from specific animal species. Most of these genetic markers rely on the presence of microorganisms in the intestinal (fecal) matter that are associated with specific animal host. Despite their number, none of these markers are completely and sufficiently specific and sensitive. Therefore, it is essential to develop novel genetic markers and innovative methods for FST.