Early/Real Time Warning Systems for Detection and Characterization of Pathogens
Sponsor: Department of Homeland Security
Contacts: Timothy M. Straub and Cynthia J. Bruckner-Lea
Pathogenic microorganisms transmitted by consumption of contaminated drinking water are a significant source of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Every 15 seconds, a child under the age of 5 dies because of drinking contaminated water. Even in the United States where drinking water is considered safe, undocumented waterborne disease outbreaks are estimated to cost $20 billion in lost productivity.
Reliable detection of these pathogens is difficult for several reasons:
- The infectious dose of many of the know pathogens is generally low (few virus particles, bacteria, or eukaryotic parasites).
- The concentration of these pathogens is often very dilute (perhaps 1-100/L of drinking water).
- Few methods are available for the simultaneous concentration of all pathogens.
- Concentration of the pathogens also concentrates inhibitors of many different detection methods.
- Few detection methods focus on the possibility of detecting different pathogens in the same sample.
Teaming with biological engineers, microbiologists at PNNL are providing next-generation solutions to government and utilities to detect natural and intentionally introduced pathogens in drinking water supplies. The Biodetection Enabling Analyte Delivery System (BEADS) will be able to simultaneously concentrate and purify any kind of pathogen with high efficiency from 10 or more liters of water. Multiplexed detection of these pathogens can then be accomplished using DNA or antibody arrays. New methods for determining the infectivity of pathogens is currently being developed based on this platform, and through the development of new in-vitro cell culture infectivity models.