Standardized Procedures for Use of Nucleic Acid-Based Tools
Abstract
Groundwater and soil samples are frequently analyzed by academic and commercial organizations using molecular biological tools (MBTs) to detect unique genetic biomarkers associated with Dehalococcoides (Dhc) and other environmentally relevant microorganisms. The results of these analyses are increasingly used by site owners, consultants, and regulators to design and evaluate natural degradation and enhanced bioremediation systems. Despite the widespread use and importance of MBTs, there are currently no standardized methods for collecting, preserving, transporting, storing, or processing groundwater samples for analysis. More importantly, the lack of standardized reference materials: a) is a barrier to comparison of MBT results between laboratories and over time, b) makes confident assessment of the relationship between biodegradative microorganisms, such as Dhc, and remediation success a challenge and c) obscures the impacts of sampling methodologies, detection of procedural errors, and other biases that affect the accuracy, precision and reproducibility of MBT analysis. Currently, there is little understanding of how biomarker integrity is affected throughout sample collection to quantification process.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA534133
Entities
People
- Carmen Lebrón
- Carolyn Acheson
- Chris Yeager
- David Major
- Elizabeth Ney
- Erik Petrovskis
- Jennifer Wilkinson
- Natasha Barros
- Phil Dennis
- Ximena Druar
Organizations
- Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command