"The Origin of Feces: Development and implementation of novel microbial source tracking (MST) techniques in Europe and beyond"

Dr H.D. Taylor (Reader) Environment and Public Health Unit (EPHRU), University of Brighton, School of the Environment and Technology, Brighton, U.K.

Dr J.E. Ebdon (Lecturer) Environment and Public Health Unit (EPHRU), University of Brighton, School of the Environment and Technology, Brighton ,U.K.

Abstract:

The results of a European Union (EU) funded research collaboration ("Tracking the Origin of Faecal Pollution in Surface Waters" (TOFPSW)) suggested that bacteriophages (viruses) infecting bacteria of the genus Bacteroides are a potential tool for fecal source tracking, but that different host strains of Bacteroides may be needed for different geographic areas (Blanch et al., 2006). In early 2004, a follow-up research collaboration between the University of Brighton (UK) and the University of Barcelona (Spain) led to the isolation of a new and potentially useful Bacteroides strain (GB-124) from a UK municipal wastewater. The strain (GB-124) is most closely analogous to Bacteroides ovatus and was isolated from the influent of a sewage treatment works (STW) situated in southeast England. A detailed account of the method by which Bacteroides GB-124 was isolated was published in the Journal of Applied and Environmental Microbiology (Payan et al., 2005). However, it was not until subsequent research was carried out at the University of Brighton (supported by EU Regional Development Fund) "Advanced Monitoring and Control of Microbial Water Quality" (AMACOM)) that the potential for GB-124 was fully recognised. Results of this study suggested that host strain GB-124 consistently identified the presence of fecal pollution of human origin. Importantly, the technique (unlike most source tracking techniques) is low-cost, rapid (requiring no sample concentration) and does not require the construction of a database or "library". Initial results also suggested that the technique may be applied to other parts of the world as bacteriophages infecting GB-124 were also present in samples from Uganda, Sicily, Denmark, and Ireland. Results from this study were subsequently published in the journal Water Research (Ebdon et al., 2007). Here, the authors describe the results of ongoing research into the application of GB-124 and other recently isolated strains of Bacteroides both in Europe and the US (Hawaii). To date Bacteroides strain GB-124 has been successfully used to identify human fecal contamination in wastewaters from Europe, Africa and North America and in four watershed studies carried out in southern England. Initial results suggest that in addition to surface waters, GB-124 could also be used to identify and assess sources of faecal pollution present in groundwater, soil, sediments and shellfish. As such, Bacteroides host strains such as GB-124 have considerable potential as tools for management of microbial water quality, through the identification and remediation of point and diffuse sources of fecal pollution. Further work is however required to in order to better understand how these microorganisms survive, both within human hosts and the environment.

The seminar will be followed by a discussion of the application of these techniques in Hawaii made by researcher Vijay Kannappan at the Water Resources Research Center

Time: 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Date: Apr. 14, 2008, Monday
Place: POST 723, UH Manoa Campus