Development of a DNA Sequencing Method for Rapid Microbial Assessment and Source Tracking of Groundwater in Ireland

Project Description

Recognition is growing that groundwater is a critical natural resource for industry, agriculture, environmental sustainability and human health. While both chemical and biological analyses of water are important, it is microbial contamination that is predominantly linked to population health. The widespread problem of surface water contamination with faecal organisms is well documented and the use of microbiological indicators of faecal contamination well established, although current techniques are often inaccurate, cumbersome and unreliable. In addition to the health impact of consuming contaminated water, the constant interaction between environmental species and human and animal pathogens pose the inevitable scenario of transfer of resistance genes between species.
In investigating water quality, this project aims to improve our knowledge of contaminating organisms, detail the main sources of contamination and enhance source tracking techniques including the development of a DNA sequencing based method that will allow the rapid determination of microbial contamination levels in groundwater. Furthermore detailing the prevalence of environmental reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance genes could aid in the design of strategies to reduce the risk of spread of antimicrobial resistance genes.
The technology development and knowledge acquisition could aid policy development in the key areas of water safety, human health and antibiotic resistance.

Research Question:

This project will address three main research questions:
1) The development of a rapid, robust and cost-effective DNA sequencing based method to determine microbial quality of groundwater sources
2) Determine the source(s) of faecal pollution using microbial source tracking
3) Examining the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes in groundwater sources