WRRC and the Pacific Research Center for Marine Biomedicine (PRCMB*) recently co-sponsored a visit by two microbiologists from the Environment and Public Health Unit at the University of Brighton (UK), School of the Environment and Technology. Drs. H.D. Taylor and J.E. Ebdon have been working collaboratively with the University of Barcelona (Spain) on developing a rapid, low-cost technique to use a strain of Bacteroides bacteria (GB-124) as an indicator of human fecal pollution in water.

WRRC's Dr. Roger Fujioka has long been exploring the potential of alternative microorganisms and chemicals to serve as indicators of human pollution in recreational waters in Hawaii. Extensive research conducted in the islands indicates that the mandated indicators are inappropriate for conditions in Hawaii and other warm climates. Vijay Kannappan, a graduate researcher working with Dr. Fujioka, has been applying the Bacteroides GB-124 techniques developed by our UK colleagues on waters here in Hawaii.

While in Honolulu Drs. Taylor and Ebdon also participated in the Joint Annual Meeting of the NSF/NIEHS Oceans and Human Health Centers, and the NOAA Oceans and Human Health Initiative.

There was a lot of WRRC participation in this meeting. In addition to giving presentations, WRRC researchers displayed a number of posters outlining their recent microbiology work. Included in the poster sessions were;