Environmental Bacteriophage Presence in Drainage Ponds at Coastal Carolina University.

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]