Microbial Source Tracking

Summary of the Microbial Source Tracking

In the United States, it is estimated that 90 million illnesses are caused by exposure to microbial contaminants in recreational waters each year, resulting in medical costs as high as $2.2-3.7 billion. Among them, most of the contamination is the result of human or other animal feces entering the water. According to reports, about one-tenth of the surface water in the United States is a threat to human health due to the high density of fecal indicator bacteria. Due to various reasons, such as septic system leakage, combined sewer overflows, local wildlife or nearby agricultural practices, the increase in fecal contamination is not only harmful to human health, but also has economic impacts, including beach closures and shellfish harvesting restrictions, etc. Therefore, an accurate understanding of the contamination source can help managers reduce the impact of the pollution or prevent it from entering the water at the source, greatly reducing the risk of people being exposed to fecal pollution, and minimizing related costs.

The Microbial Source Tracking Services Provided by Creative BioMart Microbe

In the past, fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) have been widely used to investigate microbial water quality, but this method provides almost no information about the sources of fecal contamination. Currently, EPA researchers have developed various tools to characterize the source of microbial contamination. Microbial Source Tracking (MST) can be used to efficiently identify specific characteristics in fecal bacteria associated with a specific host.

Among these microbial source tracking tools, host-related quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) methods can use well-established host-related genetic markers to identify potential sources of fecal contamination in a short amount of time. Creative BioMart Microbe’s researchers use qPCR to make millions of highly diluted fecal bacterial host-related target genes in contaminated water samples to determine whether there is a particular pollution source and what level of contamination.

We provide microbial source tracing for contamination from the following sources:

• Humans (sanitary sewer overflow, septic system failure, sewer leakage, stormwater)
• Dogs and other domestic animals (urban runoff, stormwater)
• Livestock (confined animal feeding operations)
• Wildlife

By identifying the source of contamination, our microbial source tracking (MST) tool can also provide customers with the insights and data they need to improve water quality. Our excellent services will support you at every step of the project so that you can complete your work efficiently.

Creative BioMart Microbe has nearly two decades of experience in identifying and analyzing microbial contaminants in recreational waters. As an industry leader, we continue to develop various tools to detect and track the microbial sources of fecal contamination of surface water. Our high-quality service enables customers to better understand the source of pollution and assist customers in taking the most appropriate measures to reduce fecal input and improve water quality.

If you want to know more about this service, please feel free to contact us by phone or email, or you can consult through our inquiry form. We will ensure to provide you with efficient and high-quality experimental outsourcing services.