Finding the source: towards quantitative methods for microbial sourcing tracking

In this study, amplicon sequencing (emerging technique not fully adapted for source tracking) is applied for microbial source tracking of spiked samples (mixtures of surface water and known quantities of horse, goose, and dog fecal matter, and wastewater) as well as field samples of impacted surface water. Results will be evaluated to identify microbial community fingerprints associated with different fecal sources within the samples. The goal is to verify/demonstrate amplicon sequencing as an effective fingerprinting method with great potential for future use in source tracking.

本研究采用扩增子测序（amplicon sequencing，一种尚未完全适配溯源任务的新兴技术），对加标样本与受污染地表水的野外样本开展微生物溯源研究。其中加标样本为地表水与已知量的马、鹅、犬粪便及废水的混合体系。后续将对实验结果进行评估，以识别样本中与不同粪便来源相关的微生物群落指纹图谱。本研究旨在验证并证明扩增子测序作为一种高效的指纹图谱技术，在未来微生物溯源任务中具备极大应用潜力。