rRNA Hybridization Assay for Cryptosporidium

Current methods of testing water supplies for Cryptosporidium parvum are inadequate. The lack of a reliable test led the EPA to postpone enactment of its Information Collection Rule for 2 years. The rule was recently enacted, despite any further development in testing methodologies. The EPA-approved test detects between 5% and 21% of the total Cryptosporidium known to be present in a sample. This Phase I project will develop a simple nucleic acid hybridization assay for Cryptosporidium. The assay will use proprietary substrates, which can increase assay sensitivity, compared with conventional substrates, by 10-fold or greater. This study should result in a sensitive hybridization assay that can simultaneously assay multiple samples while meeting EPA¿s limit of detection of 1,000 oocysts per 100 liters of water. Similar technology also can be applied to detecting Giardia, E. coli, and C. perfringens.