Using qPCR to detect E. coli in water samples
Start Date
April 2025
Location
2nd floor - Library
Abstract
Escherichia coli is a type of bacteria which lives in the intestines of warm-blooded animals and can often be used as a biological marker to show fecal contamination within water. The presence of E. coli in water is particularly dangerous, as numerous health issues can arise from drinking and swimming in contaminated water. Traditional methods used for detecting E. coli include culturing on differential and selective media. However, culturing is time-consuming and has low sample throughput. Alternatively, traditional PCR can be used to quickly identify bacterial species by detecting specific subsets of genes. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) has the same capabilities as traditional PCR and can also indicate relative amounts of bacteria present in environmental samples. In this project, we plan to use (q)PCR primers to specifically test for CydA, lacY, and ydiV which are all genes present in E. coli. Additionally, we will use primers to detect Shiga toxin producing E. coli (STEC), which is one of the main types of E. coli which causes foodborne illnesses.
Using qPCR to detect E. coli in water samples
2nd floor - Library
Escherichia coli is a type of bacteria which lives in the intestines of warm-blooded animals and can often be used as a biological marker to show fecal contamination within water. The presence of E. coli in water is particularly dangerous, as numerous health issues can arise from drinking and swimming in contaminated water. Traditional methods used for detecting E. coli include culturing on differential and selective media. However, culturing is time-consuming and has low sample throughput. Alternatively, traditional PCR can be used to quickly identify bacterial species by detecting specific subsets of genes. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) has the same capabilities as traditional PCR and can also indicate relative amounts of bacteria present in environmental samples. In this project, we plan to use (q)PCR primers to specifically test for CydA, lacY, and ydiV which are all genes present in E. coli. Additionally, we will use primers to detect Shiga toxin producing E. coli (STEC), which is one of the main types of E. coli which causes foodborne illnesses.
