CapE

CapE - Capture, Extract, Amplify

CapE project - Capture, Extract, Amplify

A rapid recovery method for monitoring large water volumes for pathogenic contaminants

Funded by the EPA under the STRIVE (Science, Technology, Research & Innovation for the Environment) Programme 2007-2013

Project Coordinator: Dr. Dearbháile Morris
Project Partner: Prof. Martin Cormican
Researcher: Dr. Siobhán Kavanagh

PROJECT AIM

To develop, validate and implement a convenient and effective method for harvesting microbial nucleic acids from large volumes of water for molecular detection of human pathogens. The model organism chosen for the project was verotoxigenic E. coli (VTEC) because of the importance of this pathogen for human health in Ireland and the EU. The risk posed to public health by VTEC was dramatically illustrated in 2011 by a major outbreak of foodborne VTEC, originating in Northern Germany, which resulted in 3821 cases in 14 countries across Europe, Canada and the U.S. and 47 deaths.

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) has indicated that water is a significant contributor to the burden of VTEC infection in Ireland. Water was the second most common transmission route for reported outbreaks of VTEC in 2009, with drinking water linked to 12 outbreaks. Private group water supplies and private wells may be particularly vulnerable to contamination. During 2012 some water supplies were found to be contaminated with the same strain of VTEC which affected individuals, thought likely to be due to heavy rainfall which occurred during the summer months ( Rural Water News, Autumn 2012). As part of another EPA funded project "Enhancement of human health through improved water quality", we found that in some instances both source and treated waters in vulnerable rural water supplies are contaminated with E. coli throughout the year.

Water supplies are routinely monitored (100 ml samples) for E. coli under European Communities (Drinking Water) (No. 2) Regulations, 2007 with compliance corresponding to absence of E. coli in 100 ml. This low volume approach has the potential to miss low level, intermittent contamination of potential public health significance. Specific examination of water for VTEC is currently not required in Europe but is performed using 1 L samples in outbreak situations. The aim of this project is to develop a novel, rapid, efficient, sensitive and specific method for VTEC detection in large volume water samples, which may be applied to protect the health of the general population from environmental exposure to VTEC.

A filtration enrichment method for screening large volumes of water for low level contamination with VTEC was developed and tested in the laboratory and in the field. A pilot study was carried out in the East Galway area, in conjunction with the National Federation of Group Water Schemes, to examine source and treated waters from six rural group water supplies for VTEC.

PROJECT OUTPUT

Oral and Poster Presentations

Oral presentation entitled “Monitoring large water volumes for pathogenic contaminants” given at the EPA Water Quality & Human Health: Research Networking Event 10^th May 2012, Raddison Hotel, Athlone. S. Kavanagh, D. Morris, M. Cormican.

Oral presentation entitled “Detection of Low Level Contamination of Water with Shiga-Toxigenic E. coli” given at the 23^rd Irish Environmental Researchers' Colloquium, Environ 2013, "Environment: From Ecosystem Functioning to Human Health" Jan 30th - Feb 1st 2013, NUI Galway. S. Kavanagh, D. Morris, M. Cormican.

Poster presentation entitled “Monitoring for Low Level Contamination of Water with Vero-Toxigenic E. coli” given at the 5 Nations Health Protection Conference Radisson Blu St. Helen’s Hotel, Dublin, Ireland 14th & 15th May 2013. S. Kavanagh, M. Cormican, D. Morris

Oral presentation entitled “CapE – Capture, Extract, Amplify: A Rapid Method for Monitoring Large Water Volumes for Pathogenic Contaminants” given at the Western Zoonosis Meeting, Merlin Park Hospital, Galway, 27 th June 2013. S. Kavanagh, D. Morris, M. Cormican

Poster presentation entitled “Monitoring for Low Level Contamination of Water with Shiga-Toxigenic E. coli” given at the 8^thSymposium for European Freshwater Sciences, Münster, Germany, July 1-5, 2013. S. Kavanagh, M. Cormican, D. Morris

Oral presentation entitled “CapE ‐ Capture, Extract, Amplify: A rapid method for monitoring large water volumes for pathogenic contaminants” given at the Ryan Institute Annual Research Open Day, NUI, Galway, September 24^th, 2013. S. Kavanagh, M. Cormican, D. Morris

Poster presentation entitled “Monitoring for Low Level Contamination of Water with Shiga-Toxigenic E. coli” given at the Ryan Institute Annual Research Open Day, NUI, Galway, September 24^th, 2013. S. Kavanagh, M. Cormican, D. Morris

Oral presentation entitled “CapE project: Detection of Vero-toxigenic E. coli (VTEC) in water” given at a meeting for the National Federation of Group Water Schemes NFGWS and local GWS, Clinical Sciences Institute, NUI, Galway, February 3^rd, 2014. S. Kavanagh, M. Cormican, D. Morris

Oral presentation entitled “Widespread contamination of groundwater with Verotoxigenic E. coli (VTEC)” given at the 24th Irish Environmental Researchers' Colloquium, Environ 2014, Trinity College Dublin, 26th-28th February, 2014. S. Kavanagh, M. Cormican, K. Carney, B. MacDomhnaill, D. Morris

Poster presentation entitled “Development of a rapid method for monitoring large water volumes for Verotoxigenic Escherichia coli(VTEC)” given at the 24th Irish Environmental Researchers' Colloquium, Environ 2014, Trinity College Dublin, 26^th-28^th February, 2014. S. Kavanagh, M. Cormican, K. Carney, B. MacDomhnaill, D. Morris

Oral presentation entitled "Detection of Verotoxigenic (VTEC) contamination in groundwater" given at the Infectious Diseases Society of Ireland (IDSI) 7th Annual Scientific meeting, 24th - 26th April 2014, Brookfield Health Sciences Cenrte, University College Cork. S. Kavanagh, M. Cormican, K. Carney, B. MacDomhnaill, D. Morris

Abstract entitled “Application of a Novel Method for Demonstrating Frequent Contamination of Groundwater with Verotoxigenic E. coli (VTEC)” accepted for poster presentation (# 3206) at the 24^th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in Barcelona, Spain, 10 – 13 May 2014. S. Kavanagh, M. Cormican, K. Carney, B. MacDomhnaill, D. Morris

Abstract entitled “A Rapid Method for Monitoring Large Water Volumes for Verotoxigenic Escherichia Coli (VTEC)” accepted for poster presentation (# 3220) at the 24^th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in Barcelona, Spain, 10 – 13 May 2014. S. Kavanagh, M. Cormican, K. Carney, B. MacDomhnaill, D. Morris

Abstract entitled “Contamination of Groundwater with Verotoxigenic E. coli (VTEC) detected by a novel method” accepted for poster presentation at the Faculty of Public Health Medicine Summer Scientific Meeting 2014, Dublin, 21^st – 22^nd May 2014. S. Kavanagh, M. Cormican, K. Carney, B. MacDomhnaill, D. Morris