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DEVELOPMENT OF MOLECULAR METHODS TO DETECT EMERGING VIRUSES
Citation:
Grimm, A C., C Newport, AND G S. Fout. DEVELOPMENT OF MOLECULAR METHODS TO DETECT EMERGING VIRUSES. Presented at ORD/Regional Training Workshop on "Emerging Issues" Associated with Aquatic Enviornmental Pathogens, Ft. Meade, MD, September 5-7, 2001.
Impact/Purpose:
Develop sensitive techniques to detect and identify emerging human waterborne pathogenic viruses and viruses on the CCL.
Determine effectiveness of viral indicators to measure microbial quality in water matrices.
Support activities: (a) culture and distribution of mammalian cells for Agency and scientific community research needs, (b) provide operator expertise for research requiring confocal and electron microscopy, (c) glassware cleaning, sterilization and biological waste disposal for the Cincinnati EPA facility, (d) operation of infectious pathogenic suite, (e) maintenance of walk-in constant temperature rooms and (f) provide Giardia cysts.
Description:
A large number of human enteric viruses are known to cause gastrointestinal illness and waterborne outbreaks. Many of these are emerging viruses that do not grow or grow poorly in cell culture and so molecular detectoin methods based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are being developed. Current studies focus on detecting two virus groups, the caliciviruses and the hepatitis E virus strains, both of which have been found to cause significant outbraks via contaminated drinking water. Once developed, these methods will be used to collect occurrence data for risk assessment studies.