Plasmid profile analysis for assessing bacteriological quality of natural waters. Technical report (Final)
Current methods of screening water for microbiological contamination do not reveal the actual source of the contamination. The project was carried out to determine if analysis of plasmid-size profiles of bacteria found in fresh water could be used to determine the source of the bacteria. The objectives of the study were met. These were to (1) isolate coliforms above, at and below sewage outfalls into the Bouie and Leaf Rivers near Hattiesburg, Mississippi, (2) isolate plasmids from representative sample coliforms, (3) characterize the plasmids from each isolate by size on agarose gel electrophoresis, and (4) compare the size profiles of the plasmids originating at the different sites. A total of 537 plasmids were identified from 344 coliform isolates of E. coli obtained from the different sites. Some comparisons suggested a more-refined means of looking at the plasmid may be more beneficial in assessing water quality. For example, water impacted by known human contamination had coliforms with high incidence of low-molecular-weight plasmids. The project also provided one of the few baseline studies of plasmid size profiles in natural waters.
- Research Organization:
- University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg (USA). Dept. of Chemistry
- OSTI ID:
- 6413215
- Report Number(s):
- PB-89-136832/XAB
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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