Use of ColiGlow™ for Agricultural Waters and Agriculturally Impacted Waters to Rapidly Quantify E. coli and Antibiotic-Resistant E. coli

PROJECT SUMMARY - PI: RANABHAT PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT Existing methods for measuring agricultural water quality that has been impacted by fecal bacteria from livestock wildlife and humans is not easily performed on the farm and requires laboratory resources. With an increased frequency of extreme weather events inundating agricultural lands and potentially impacting private groundwater systems and surface waters their remains a need for water monitoring to inform pollution mitigation and conservation practices while also safeguarding food systems and public health. Additionally the USDA FDA and CDC have joined efforts as part of the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System to better understand how antibiotic resistant bacteria move in the environment between livestock humans and wildlife. Water and fecal indicator bacteria are both important for assessing this movement of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Accordingly farmers conservationists and even citizen scientists who desire to contribute to monitoring and improving our nation's waters may have the opportunity to take action if affordable practical field portable kits become available that provide rapid and scientifically defensible results. The research proposed seeks to enhance and validate an affordable handheld quantitative fluorometer and colorimeter for enumerating E. coli and antibiotic-resistant E. coli from agricultural waters . The results obtained will be compared to the standard methods which are slower more expensive and require laboratory resources. These research efforts presumably would benefit conservation-minded agricultural operations conservation districts watershed organizations educators and citizen scientists by leading to a kit that enables their participation in water quality monitoring and antibiotic resistance surveillance efforts. 1