Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2012AL126B

QUANTITATIVE PCR-BASED ASSAYS FOR DETECTION OF WILDLIFE AND PET

Institute: Alabama
Year Established: 2012 Start Date: 2012-03-01 End Date: 2013-08-31
Total Federal Funds: $50,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $100,096

Principal Investigators: Yucheng Feng

Abstract: The proposed research will develop rapid and sensitive quantitative PCR-based assays to determine fecal contamination from wildlife and pets. The qPCR assays target the host specific markers present in the members of the order Bacteroidales, which are found in human and animal feces in greater abundance than traditionally used fecal indicator bacteria. Dr. Fengs research group has successfully optimized qPCR assays for detecting and quantifying human and cattle specific markers in surface waters (Wijesinghe et al., 2010). Together with the assays to be developed in this proposal, they will help resolve sources of diffuse fecal pollution in impaired watersheds in a timely manner. This will assist water resource managers in designing TMDL implementation plans and assessing the effectiveness of management practices. With fecal contamination sources identified and contributions quantified, remediation efforts can be more effective and resources be allocated in a more cost-effective manner.