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US 11,079,329 B2Granted
Human waste water and human-derived pathogen scouting tool
AssigneeUniversity of North Carolina Wilmington
InventorsMary M. Turbe, Lawrence B. Cahoon
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present subject matter provides processes and kits for identifying the presence of waste water or human-derived pathogens, particularly those associated with the presence of human fecal matter, in surface or subsurface water sources.
Claims13
A process for identifying a presence of human fecal matter in water samples, the process comprising:
- collecting a water sample, the water sample containing optical brighteners;
- running the water sample through a solid phase extraction cartridge;
- reducing interference of naturally occurring fluorescing compounds by at least a first elution of the naturally occurring fluorescing compounds from the extraction cartridge while retaining at least a portion of the optical brighteners;
- concentrating and enhancing a fluorescence signal corresponding to the optical brighteners, by at least a second elution of the optical brighteners from the extraction cartridge;
- and
- determining a presence of the optical brighteners based on a detection of the fluorescence signal, wherein the presence of the optical brighteners indicates the presence of human fecal matter in the water sample.
3 more elements
A process for identifying a presence of waste water in water samples, the process comprising:
- collecting a water sample the water sample containing optical brighteners;
- running the water sample through a solid phase extraction cartridge;
- reducing interference of naturally occurring fluorescing compounds by at least a first elution of the naturally occurring fluorescing compounds from the extraction cartridge while retaining at least a portion of the optical brighteners;
- concentrating and enhancing a fluorescence signal associated with the optical brighteners, by at least a second elution of the optical brighteners from the extraction cartridge;
- and
- determining a presence of the optical brighteners based on a detection of the fluorescence signal, wherein the presence of the optical brighteners indicates the presence of waste water.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.