INTER-LABORATORY COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT PCR ASSAYS FOR THE DETECTION OF Vibrio Cholerae IN WASTEWATER SAMPLES

摘要

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the suitability of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay as a routine method for the detection of Vibrio cholerae (V. cholerae) in wastewater samples to compliment standard microbiology tests. To achieve this, the efficiency of three PCR assays used by the Water and Health Research Centre (WRHC) laboratory was compared to a PCR assay employed by a commercial, ISO 17025 accredited water testing laboratory. A total of 136 wastewater samples, which included equivalent parts of raw sewage and treated effluents, were collected from 12 wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) in the Gauteng province of South Africa. The samples were collected from June to October 2013 and were examined for the presence of toxigenic V. cholerae using the four PCR assays.