NEXT GENERATION SEQUENCING APPROACHES TO FECAL SOURCE TRACKING

The goal of this project is to develop novel, microbial source tracking (MST) methods or approaches that utilize next-generation sequencing (NGS) to achieve increased accuracy, resolution, specificity, and sensitivity in identifying sources of fecal contamination to waterways. The following specific objectives are proposed:1. Identify potential source tracking targets with conserved genetic signatures using existing NGS datasets.2. Design and optimize a candidate NGS-based MST assay or approach.3. Assess the performance of a candidate NGS-based MST assay or approach compared to traditional MST methods for differentiating source contamination in waterways.