A U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) microbiologist prepares a water sample
A microbiologist prepares a reaction in a Biological Safety Cabinet
Counting total coliforms plated on MI agar
A USGS microbiologist pours a groundwater sample into a sterile filter
About the Research
The Michigan Bacteriological Research Laboratory (MI-BaRL) Core Technology Team (CTT) as part of the Environmental Health Program uses a wide array of traditional and modern molecular approaches to evaluate microbial pathogens and antimicrobial resistance pathways in the environment. The scientists use these approaches to advance the understanding of how environmental contaminants affect microbial processes and influence the health of the Nation's aquatic resources, and consequently, the wildlife and humans using those resources. The MI-BaRL continues to optimize new tools and assays to work with a variety of environmental matrices, including water, sediment, manure, biosolids, biofilms, plant material, and animal tissue.
Key Analytical Capabilities
- Culturing and plating methods for enumeration and isolation of bacteria, including antibiotic resistant bacteria
- IDEXX enumeration methods for water quality monitoring
- Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and quantitative PCR (qPCR) for pathogen and antimicrobial resistance genes
- Sequencing and identification of bacterial isolates
- Microbial community profiling (next generation sequencing) for microbial community composition and functional capabilities
- Bioinformatics for sequencing data sets
Key Instrumentation
Biosafety Level 2 (BSL2) laboratory with:
- DNA/RNA automated extraction workstation
- Liquid handling transfer workstation for automated PCR/qPCR set-up and culture transfer
- Three thermal cyclers for PCR
- 3 real-time PCR systems for qPCR
- Fluorometer for quantitation of DNA
- Phase Contrast and Epifluorescence Microscope
- Bioanalyzer for sizing, quantification, and quality control of DNA and RNA
About the Research
The Michigan Bacteriological Research Laboratory (MI-BaRL) Core Technology Team (CTT) as part of the Environmental Health Program uses a wide array of traditional and modern molecular approaches to evaluate microbial pathogens and antimicrobial resistance pathways in the environment. The scientists use these approaches to advance the understanding of how environmental contaminants affect microbial processes and influence the health of the Nation's aquatic resources, and consequently, the wildlife and humans using those resources. The MI-BaRL continues to optimize new tools and assays to work with a variety of environmental matrices, including water, sediment, manure, biosolids, biofilms, plant material, and animal tissue.
Key Analytical Capabilities
- Culturing and plating methods for enumeration and isolation of bacteria, including antibiotic resistant bacteria
- IDEXX enumeration methods for water quality monitoring
- Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and quantitative PCR (qPCR) for pathogen and antimicrobial resistance genes
- Sequencing and identification of bacterial isolates
- Microbial community profiling (next generation sequencing) for microbial community composition and functional capabilities
- Bioinformatics for sequencing data sets
Key Instrumentation
Biosafety Level 2 (BSL2) laboratory with:
- DNA/RNA automated extraction workstation
- Liquid handling transfer workstation for automated PCR/qPCR set-up and culture transfer
- Three thermal cyclers for PCR
- 3 real-time PCR systems for qPCR
- Fluorometer for quantitation of DNA
- Phase Contrast and Epifluorescence Microscope
- Bioanalyzer for sizing, quantification, and quality control of DNA and RNA