Technology Assessment and Strategy for Development of a Rapid Field Water Microbiology Test Kit
Abstract
A literature and market search of existing technology for the detection, identification, and quantification of microorganisms in water was conducted. Based upon the availability of technologies and their configurations, an assessment of the appropriate strategies to pursue for the near and long term development plans in development of the Rapid Field Bacteriology Test Kit was performed. Near term technologies to improve the Army's capability to detect microorganisms would appear to be essentially improvements in versatility and measurement of coliform indicator organisms. New chromogenic and fluorogenic indicator substances associated with new substrates appear to be best suited for test kit development either for quantitative membrane filter tests or presence/ absence and multiple fermentation tests. Test times, incubator requirements, and operator involvement appear to be similar to older technologies. Long term development would appear to favor such technologies as genetic probes with amplification of the hydridized nucleic acid materials of positive samples, and some immunological based systems such as enzyme linked, immuno-sorbent assays. In both cases, the major problems would appear to be sample preparation and development of signal strengths from the reactions which would allow the user to see results in 1 hour.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1991
- Accession Number
- ADA243413
Entities
People
- David R. Preston
- Stephen A. Schaub
Organizations
- United States Army Biological Warfare Laboratories