Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2010DE188B

The Prevalence of Pathogenic Bacteria in Delmarva Waters from a Virus Point of View

Institute: Delaware
Year Established: 2010 Start Date: 2010-06-01 End Date: 2011-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $1,500 Total Non-Federal Funds: $3,000

Principal Investigators: Eric Wommack, Mara Hyatt

Project Summary: Viruses are ubiquitous and diverse in all aquatic environments including those in Delaware. In the nearby Chesapeake Bay, they range in abundance from 2.6 to 140 million per milliliter. Some bacteriophages are known to alter the phenotype of their hosts while in the lysogenic phase. While genes involved in the lytic cycle are not transcribed, other sections of the prophage can be active that could affect the antigens on the cells surface or impart virulence factors. One mechanism of pathogenicity acquired this way is the production of proteins called exotoxins, which are secreted by the host cell. For example, CTXproduces cholera toxin through lysogenic conversion of previously non-toxigenic Vibrio cholera and Vibrio mimicus The prevalence of viruses carrying virulence genes within aquatic environments is largely unknown with the exception of a few studies that found exotoxin genes in environmental DNA and viral DNA isolated from several sites in the San Diego area. Currently, no study has examined the prevalence of exotoxin genes within any aquatic environments of the Delmarva Peninsula. Investigating the prevalence of these exotoxin genes in viruses and bacteria from local water samples will help elucidate the role of viruses in determining the possible load of pathogenic bacteria within Delaware aquatic environments. The major goal of this research is to characterize the prevalence and diversity of viral and bacterial samples, and the presence of exotoxins, in a range of fresh and coastal surface waters from the Mid-Atlantic USA.