Laboratory for Infectious Disease and the Environment
Our new fact sheet is here!
Our new fact sheet is here!
Learn about the Laboratory for Infectious Disease and the Environment (LIDE).
LIDE capabilities
LIDE capabilities
Molecular and culture analysis methods are paired with sampling capabilities across environmental matrices to address a wide range of questions and problems.
News
What’s in the water? USGS has the answer!
What’s in the water? USGS has the answer!
New publication on study on antibiotic resistance in well water
New publication on study on antibiotic resistance in well water
Launch of Northeast Wisconsin Well Water Advisory Forecast Study
Launch of Northeast Wisconsin Well Water Advisory Forecast Study
Publications
Detection of viral, bacterial, and protozoan pathogens and microbial source tracking markers in paired large- and small-volume water samples Detection of viral, bacterial, and protozoan pathogens and microbial source tracking markers in paired large- and small-volume water samples
When sampling for waterborne microbes, researchers may need to diverge from recommended sample volumes due to logistical constraints, novel targets, or challenging matrices, with little guidance about the potential impact on results. In field studies, we measured bacteria, viruses, and protozoa (15 quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays) in paired large- and small-volume samples...
Sources and risk factors for nitrate, pathogens, and fecal contamination of private wells in rural southwestern Wisconsin, USA Sources and risk factors for nitrate, pathogens, and fecal contamination of private wells in rural southwestern Wisconsin, USA
Household well water can be degraded by contaminants from the land's surface, but private well owners lack means to protect the source water from neighboring disturbances. Rural residents of southwestern Wisconsin, USA, rely on private well water, and the combination of land use and fractured carbonate bedrock makes groundwater vulnerable to contamination. To identify the extent, sources...
Laboratory assessment for recovery of porcine circovirus 2 and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus using two types of commercially available hollow-fiber ultrafilters Laboratory assessment for recovery of porcine circovirus 2 and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus using two types of commercially available hollow-fiber ultrafilters
Groundwater near swine farms is an uninvestigated reservoir for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and porcine circoviruses (PCVs). Enteric microorganisms are often collected from groundwater via dead-end ultrafiltration, but recovery of PRRSV and PCV with this method has not been assessed. We recovered PRRSV2 and PCV2 by dead-end ultrafiltration followed by...
Science
Assessing the health risk from waterborne pathogens for public users recreating on future Iowa Water Trails recreation sites near Des Moines
Scientists at LIDE are collaborating with Polk County Conservation in central Iowa to estimate the health risk posed to recreators in the Des Moines River and tributaries. Samples collected over two years are tested for viral, bacterial, and protozoan pathogens, and health risk is estimated using quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA). Health risk will also be compared to microbial source...
Well Water Advisory Forecasts for northeast Wisconsin
The fractured bedrock of northeast Wisconsin is vulnerable to groundwater contamination because water and contaminants can move quickly. LIDE is launching a study to predict contamination of private wells in northeast WI using Runoff Risk Advisory Forecasts (RRAF). RRAF is an online tool that forecasts conditions conducive to surface runoff, and the long-term vision is to leverage its forecasts to...
Southwest Wisconsin Groundwater and Geology (SWIGG) study
The fractured bedrock aquifers of southwest Wisconsin are often overlain by shallow soils, so private wells are potentially vulnerable to contamination by nitrate and pathogens from the land surface. The goal of this study is to evaluate the extent and causes of private well water contamination in three southwest Wisconsin counties.