2010 Student Research Conference:
23rd Annual Student Research Conference

Identifying Sources of Fecal Contamination in Hazel Creek and Forest Lake Using Bacteroides Host Specific Primers
Sarah D. Meyer
Dr. Michael Lockhart and Dr. Cynthia Cooper, Faculty Mentors

Historically, water quality assessments have focused on culture based methods to identify pollution. Frequently Escherichia coli concentrations in 100ml of water have been used to indicate levels of fecal contamination, but due to low genetic diversity, E. coli cannot be easily used to indicate the source of contamination. Recently a wide variety of host-specific primers for the genus Bacteroides have been created to determine the sources of fecal contamination. As a result the primers hum163Fa-hum163Ra, hum336Fa-hum336Ra, Bac2F-Bac2R, and Bac3F-Bac3R were used to test water samples for Bacteroides that are believed to be endemic in human and bovine populations. Of the original twenty four samples, no sample tested positive for Bacteroides PCR products. However, when we loaded maximum concentrations of DNA extract from the second sampling trip, seventeen of twenty four samples tested positive for human fecal contamination, and six of twenty four samples tested positive for bovine fecal contamination.

Keywords: Bacteroides, Water, Pollution

Topic(s):Biology

Presentation Type: Poster

Session: 8-6
Location: SUB-GEO
Time: 4:15

Add to Custom Schedule

   SRC Privacy Policy