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Development and Optimization of a Rapid Viability Polymerase Chain Reaction (RV-PCR) Protocol for Detection of Yersinia pestis in Water Samples
Citation:
Shah, S., S. Kane, T. Alfaro, AND A. Erler. Development and Optimization of a Rapid Viability Polymerase Chain Reaction (RV-PCR) Protocol for Detection of Yersinia pestis in Water Samples . U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-16/313, 2016.
Impact/Purpose:
To protect the human health and the environment, the EPA decision makers will need timely and reliable water sample analysis results during the response to and recovery from a plague incident resulting in contamination of the water infrastructure regardless of whether the contamination is a result of a natural outbreak, laboratory accident, or a criminal or terrorist incident. This report presents the research effort focused on the development and optimization of the Rapid Viability Polymerase Chain Reaction (RV-PCR) method for detection of Yersinia pestis (the bacteria that cause plague) in water samples. The RV-PCR method rapidly determines the presence or absence of live Y. pestis in a sample. The method can be less labor-, space-, and time- intensive than the traditional microbiological culture methods and will address the need for rapid sample analysis. The method will help enhance the capability and capacity for rapid, reliable, and high throughput sample analysis for the Water Laboratory Alliance (WLA), a network of laboratories established by the EPA Office of Water.
Description:
To protect the human health and the environment, the EPA decision makers will need timely and reliable water sample analysis results during the response to and recovery from a plague incident resulting in contamination of the water infrastructure regardless of whether the contamination is a result of a natural outbreak, laboratory accident, or a criminal or terrorist incident. This report presents the research effort focused on the development and optimization of the Rapid Viability Polymerase Chain Reaction (RV-PCR) method for detection of Yersinia pestis (the bacteria that cause plague) in water samples. The RV-PCR method rapidly determines the presence or absence of live Y. pestis in a sample. The method can be less labor-, space-, and time- intensive than the traditional microbiological culture methods and will address the need for rapid sample analysis. The method will help enhance the capability and capacity for rapid, reliable, and high throughput sample analysis for the Water Laboratory Alliance (WLA), a network of laboratories established by the EPA Office of Water.