The University of British Columbia, Room G227, 2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 2B5, Canada.
Can J Microbiol. 2013 Mar;59(3):210-20. doi: 10.1139/cjm-2012-0618. Epub 2013 Jan 11.
In British Columbia, Canada, drinking water is tested for total coliforms and Escherichia coli, but there is currently no routine follow-up testing to investigate fecal contamination sources in samples that test positive for indicator bacteria. Reliable microbial source tracking (MST) tools to rapidly test water samples for multiple fecal contamination markers simultaneously are currently lacking. The objectives of this study were (i) to develop a qualitative MST tool to identify fecal contamination from different host groups, and (ii) to evaluate the MST tool using water samples with evidence of fecal contamination. Singleplex and multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used to test (i) water from polluted sites and (ii) raw and drinking water samples for presence of bacterial genetic markers associated with feces from humans, cattle, seagulls, pigs, chickens, and geese. The multiplex MST assay correctly identified suspected contamination sources in contaminated waterways, demonstrating that this test may have utility for heavily contaminated sites. Most raw and drinking water samples analyzed using singleplex PCR contained at least one host-associated marker. Singleplex PCR was capable of detecting host-associated markers in small sample volumes and is therefore a promising tool to further analyze water samples submitted for routine testing and provide information useful for water quality management.
在加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省，饮用水需检测总大肠菌群和大肠杆菌，但目前尚无针对指示菌检测呈阳性的样本进行粪便污染来源的常规后续检测。目前缺乏可靠的微生物溯源（MST）工具来同时快速检测水样中的多种粪便污染标志物。本研究的目的是：（i）开发一种定性 MST 工具，以识别来自不同宿主群体的粪便污染；（ii）使用有粪便污染证据的水样评估 MST 工具。单重和多重聚合酶链反应（PCR）用于检测：（i）污染地点的水；（ii）原水和饮用水样本中是否存在与人类、牛、海鸥、猪、鸡和鹅粪便相关的细菌遗传标记。多重 MST 检测可正确识别受污染水道中的疑似污染源，表明该检测方法可能对污染严重的地点有用。使用单重 PCR 分析的大多数原水和饮用水样本均含有至少一种宿主相关标记。单重 PCR 能够检测小样本量中的宿主相关标记，因此是进一步分析提交用于常规检测的水样并提供有助于水质管理的信息的有前途的工具。
