RAPID CONFIRMATION OF MICROBIOLOGICAL ALERTS USING OFF-LINE MOLECULAR METHODS

摘要

In the event of a microbiological alert, either due to the triggering of an on-line sensor or malicious threats made to the news media, there is an urgent need to rapidly confirm the identity and quantity of the pathogen or indicator species involved in the emergency. If positive, then immediate decisions can be taken with confidence to quarantine the water and/or issue a boil notice to protect public health. A major problem is that there are several confounding factors which influence the ability to detect the contaminant. For example, during the time taken to respond to an alert the microbe may be severely diluted and requires a concentration step(s) such as large scale filtration of water. Alternatively, the microbe may adsorb to the walls of the pipe and associated corrosion deposits, biofilm or sediment. Moreover, the microbe may be stressed from exposure to the low nutrient water or chlorine treatment. Existing isolation and culturing methods are time consuming, taking as long as 2-3 months for slow growing pathogenic species, or may not work for those environmentally stressed species in a viable but non-cultivable (VBNC) state.