Recreational water quality monitoring (RWQM) is essential for reducing the risk of exposure to waterborne pathogens from fecal contamination. Human fecal contamination poses the most significant risk due to the host-specific nature of many pathogens. Traditional RWQM cannot differentiate between human and nonhuman fecal contamination, limiting its application. Microbial source tracking (MST) is a method introduced to improve RWQM by characterizing fecal contamination by source. This method relies on the detection of host-specific DNA targets. While this method has been beneficial, it still has limitations. When more than one target is detected, it is not possible to determine the primary source of fecal contamination. In this study, a nonhost specific target was used to normalize MST results, and standard curves were created to relate gene copies of the target to the equivalent dry weight of feces. The dry weight of feces can then be compared to determine the primary source of contamination. These standards were applied to MST results from five beaches in Macomb County, MI.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease that is mainly spread through aerosolized droplets containing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and is excreted in feces by infected individuals. Sewage surveillance has been applied widely to obtain data on the prevalence of COVID-19 in whole communities. We used SARS-CoV-2 gene targets N1, N2, and E to determine the prevalence of COVID-19 at both municipal and building levels. Frequency analysis of wastewater testing indicated that single markers detected only 85% or less of samples that were detected as positive for SARS-CoV-2 with the three markers combined, indicating the necessity of pairing markers to lower the false-negative rate. The best pair of markers in both municipal and building level monitoring was N1 and N2, which correctly identified 98% of positive samples detected with the three markers combined. The degradation rates of all three targets were assessed at two different temperatures (25 and 35 °C) as a possible explanation for observed differences between markers in frequency. Results indicated that all three RNA targets degrade at nearly the same rate, indicating that differences in degradation rate are not responsible for the observed differences in marker frequency.

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Background: Drug-induced uveitis is vision threatening and has been associated with various bioactive molecules. In this case report, we discuss a potential unique association between MiraLAX and bilateral anterior uveitis. Case Presentation: We present a case of a 52-year-old gentleman with no significant medical history and a past ocular history of dry eye syndrome who developed an anaphylactic reaction and acute but mild bilateral anterior uveitis after recent MiraLAX bowel preparation for a screening colonoscopy. Extensive review of systems and screening for medical problems was otherwise unremarkable. The patient responded well to a short course of topical steroids and there were no sequelae of disease. Conclusions: We aim to raise awareness of the potential association between MiraLAX and uveitis in order to prevent vision loss from the sequalae of disease.