Detection of microbial agents in source and potable water supplies of East Central Indiana : [an honors thesis] (HONRS 499)

The Environmental Protection Agency included Aeromonas hydrophila and Helicobacter pylori on its Contaminant Candidate List. Both bacterial species can cause illness and death in humans, and both are suspected of entering public drinking water supplies undetected. The EPA Method 1605 was used to detect A. hydrophila from all stages of drinking water disinfection. A. hydrophila was detected in the raw and filtered stages of drinking water disinfection. The skills gained from working with A. hydrophila were then applied to detecting H. pylori from all stages of drinking water disinfection as well as from environmental water samples. Hp medium was utilized to isolate H. pylori from water samples, and the PCR technique was used to confirm the identity of suspected H. pylori colonies. The Hp medium produced problems with background contamination, which yielded a failure in detecting H. pylori from water samples. Additionally, the peR technique could not be optimized for H. pylori, so it also did not generate any positive identifications. However, this study did generate many recommendations that could be utilized for further studies with H. pylori.