Application of the μAqua microarray for pathogenic organisms across a marine/freshwater interface

Abstract

Monitoring drinking water quality is an important public health issue and pathogenic organisms present a particularly serious health hazard in freshwater bodies. However, many pathogenic bacteria, including cyanobacteria, and pathogenic protozoa can be swept into coastal lagoons and into near-shore marine environments where they continue to grow and pose a health threat to marine mammals and invertebrates. In this study, we tested the suitability of a phylochip (microarray for species detection) developed for freshwater pathogenic organisms to be applied to samples taken across a marine/freshwater interface at monthly intervals for two years. Toxic cyanobacteria and pathogenic protozoa were more numerous in a coastal lagoon than at the freshwater or marine site, indicating that this microarray can be used to detect the presence of these pathogens across a marine/freshwater interface and thus the potential for toxicity to occur within the entire watershed.

Determination of the efficiency of filtration of cultures from microalgae and bacteria using hollow fiber filters

“…In the samples obtained by Millipore filters any eDNA will likely have been lost through the filters but any eDNA trapped by the hollow fiber filters, not degraded, will have been retained. In the three EU projects that used these filters, waters were taken from very different sources, ranging from rivers to reservoirs and from freshwater to marine samples and total cell numbers were extrapolated from the microarray signals and results were verified where possible [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. These are the only studies that we are aware of in which the hollow fiber filters were used on environmental samples that were not experimental samples to test matrix effects.…”

“…In each EU project, the various partners validated the field sample using whatever means were available to each institute. Details of all investigations from these projects can be found in [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13].…”