Performance assessment PCR-based assays targeting Bacteroidales genetic markers of Bovine fecal pollution

A performance evaluation of seven end-point PCR and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays which are associated with either ruminant or bovine feces are reported. The large discrepancies in the performance of bovine-associated assays across different bovine populations and variability in assay performance between host populations indicated that the use of bovine microbial source-tracking applications would need a prior characterization at each water-shed of interest.