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The purpose of this research is to detect naturally occurring, lytic bacteriophages and identify the environmental factors that influence their presence on Coastal Carolina University's campus. Bacteriophages are non-living viruses that only infect bacteria, and these viruses are found in abundance in every environment. Likewise, coliphages are viruses that exclusively infect coliform bacteria. Eleven treated and untreated freshwater sample sites were chosen for weekly sampling on CCU's campus. During water sample collection, ambient environmental conditions were measured. In addition, precipitation was tracked over the collection period as runoff relates to the proliferation of bacteriophages. If plaque assays indicated the presence of lytic bacteriophages or were "non-determinant," then the environmental samples underwent PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) identification. Over the collection period, coliphages were detected on CCU's campus and identified based on their genomic material. With the collected precipitation data and observed positive results, the correlation between environmental factors and the presence of bacteriophages on campus was determined, too. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacteriophages are used as indicators of pathogenic bacteria in drinking, and wastewaters. They also show potential in limiting aquatic bacterial populations through their lytic properties. The effect of different water characteristics (salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen, and temperature) on the sensitivity of the PCR identification of virus particles were analyzed to determine at what levels bacteriophage can be detected in environmental samples. Results from this preliminary study indicate that a PCR bacteriophage detection technique has potential as a relatively efficient and economical indicator of coliform contamination in multiple aquatic environments. While further evaluation is needed, the protocol appears to function in both fresh water and saline environments, and a range of abiotic and flux conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]