Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Laboratory Team

Water disinfection research

Water sampling using ultrafiltration

Mission: Developing and applying methods for environmental sampling, microbial detection, and treatment technologies to prevent WASH-related disease.

Our laboratory:

• Supports water-related emergency preparedness and outbreak investigations
• Conducts environmental sampling
  • Water, wastewater, soil, sediment, biosolids, filters, and other environmental samples
• Completes environmental sample analyses
  • Quantifies and/or detects viruses, bacteria, and parasites using culture, molecular, and microscopy methods
• Develops and tests new environmental sample detection methods
• Develops and improves disinfection and treatment methods for drinking water and recreational water
• Conducts environmental investigations to identify  pathogens and indicators of fecal contamination
• Studies waterborne parasite biology & Cryptosporidium oocyst production
• Provides training on environmental sampling techniques and associated analytical methods

Environmental Microbiology Laboratory Highlights

• CDC at Work: Healthy Swimming
• CDC at Work: Drinking Water

Mission: Developing and applying advanced molecular detection (AMD) methods for parasitic disease surveillance and outbreak investigations to prevent waterborne, foodborne, and zoonotic diseases.

Our laboratory:

• Investigates the molecular and genomic epidemiology of zoonotic parasites in humans and animals in the context of One Health
• Genotypes and subtypes waterborne and foodborne protozoan pathogens (Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Cyclospora, Microsporidia, Naegleria fowleri) in clinical and environmental samples
• Tracks sources and spread of protozoan parasites using advanced molecular detection tools
• Develops and manages CryptoNet–CDC's first  molecular surveillance system for a parasite–a DNA sequence-based system for understanding U.S. transmission of cryptosporidiosis

Molecular Epidemiology Laboratory Highlights

• CDC at Work: Cryptosporidium

Mission: Developing and applying diagnostic methods and drug therapies for opportunistic and pathogenic free-living and intestinal amebas to prevent future infections.

(A) For free-living amebas our laboratory:

• Diagnoses amebic infections, including pathogenic free-living Acanthamoeba spp., Balamuthia mandrillaris, Naegleria fowleri, and Sappinia using real-time PCR and immunofluorescence techniques
• Detects and identifies free-living amebas in environmental samples
• Develops and assesses drug therapies for free-living amebic infections
• Investigates genome sequences of free-living amebas
• Develops serologic methods for diagnosis of free-living amebic infections
• 

  Balamuthia mandrillaris trophozoite and cyst

• Develops simple ELISA-based method for diagnosis of free-living amebas
• Investigates stage-specific proteome of free-living amebas

(B) For intestinal amebas our laboratory:

• Diagnoses amebic infections, including Entamoeba histolytica and Entamoeba dispar using real-time PCR
• Detects E. histolytica specific antibodies in serum samples using  ELISA method
• Detects genotypes of infecting ameba using tRNA gene-linked typing method
• Develops novel genotyping and SNP-based methods for differentiation of clinical strains of E. histolytica
• Tests and assesses new drug therapies for intestinal amebic infections
• Investigates genomic differences that may account for differential outcome of infections using next generation sequencing techniques

Naegleria fowleri in a brain section

Free-Living & Intestinal Amebas Laboratory Highlights

• CDC at Work: Naegleria fowleri
• CDC at Work: Balamuthia mandrillaris

Mission: Developing multiplex serologic assays for use in surveillance and epidemiologic surveys to understand the spread of infectious disease.

Our laboratory:

• Identifies and expresses antigenic targets for new serological assays
• Develops Luminex bead-based serological assays for parasitic, viral, and bacterial infections
• Applies serological assays to surveillance and epidemiologic studies of pre- and post-public health intervention populations
• Conducts flow cytometry analysis and sample sorting to support scientific investigations