Pollution Sources
University of Florida researchers have developed new DNA
tests to determine causes of pollution in lakes, streams, bays and underground
water supplies.
"Until now, it has been difficult to determine if germs
in water are coming from human or animal sources," said Mark Tamplin, a
food safety expert with UF's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
"Our new tests are 99.9 percent reliable."
The tests capitalize on the fact that DNA patterns of human
E. cold bacteria are different from those in animals and that many E. cold in
humans have become resistant to antibiotics.
"If water contains E. cold from humans, there's a
potential for diseases such as salmonella and hepatitis to be present,"
Tamplin said. "If there are no E. cold from humans, there's little chance
of the water transmitting human disease. Our new tests can help prioritize
where to put money."
The UF tests were first used in White County in north
central Indiana to help settle an argument about whether septic tanks, wildlife
or pig farms are causing dangerously high E. cold counts around the Lake Shafer
resort area.
Tamplin is developing a contract with Broward County to test
the effects of dog feces in waterways.
Reprinted from the University of Florida Focus,
University Of
Florida Alumni Association, PO Box 14425, Gainesville, Florida 32604-2425.
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