Rapid Microbial Detection
Summary
Environmental pathogens are micro-organisms that normally spend a substantial part of their life outside of hosts. But when they are introduced to humans, they frequently cause disease. Pathogens are carried in the water, soil, air, food and other parts of the environment, and can affect almost everyone. Microbes make the world go round. They are part of our bodies and part of the environment. They are an essential part of making things work. For example, in our guts, bacteria digest the material and enable us to survive. But from time to time these bacteria can become pathogenic and cause diseases. Current pathogen detection technologies are relatively slow and expensive. Samples must be gathered, then returned to a laboratory for testing. It can take from 24 to 48 hours for results. There is a need for quickly and efficiently measuring bacterial and microbial contaminants in the environment. Rapid detection of pathogens will lead to great improvement in world health.
Keywords: ebcrc, environmental biotechnology, pathogen, rapid microbial detection
