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Innovative
Solutions for Pollution and Pathogens
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The
problems.
As
U.S. coastlines become more and more populated, our shorelines and
marine habitats are increasingly stressed. Not only does greater
usage affect marine life and habitats, but it also can create public
health concerns and harm regional seafood industries. In addition,
the United States has numerous identified polluted areas, including
fresh water lakes and wetlands, that by
law must be cleaned. With investment
for basic research, the science of biotechnology could help address
environmental and health concerns, while also improving our understanding
of the intricate balance of life within marine ecosystems.
Potential
solutions. Already,
researchers are using marine biotechnology in the attempt to address
the following concerns: contamination from oil spills and industrial
toxins; the endangered health of coral reefs and other marine
environments; and threats to human health from toxic blooms and
microbial contamination of water and seafood.
Bioremediation,
which speeds the natural degradation process, also is being used
to clean up sewage and contaminated sludge, seafood wastes, and
toxic contaminants in marshes, harbors, and freshwater lakes. The
biological activity of genetically modified marine organisms already
is being used to clean up or contain oil spills. For instance, this
approach achieved notable success after the spill from the Exxon
Valdez in Alaska.
New
techniques in genomics and proteomics also offer the
potential for extremely sensitive diagnostic tests to identify initial
outbreaks of organisms harmful to marine life and humans. For example,
recently developed molecular tools are being used to assess the
early appearance of brown tide, as well as Dermo infection in oysters.
By defining the life cycles and mechanisms of pathogenesis and disease
transmission, researchers are gaining a greater understanding of
host immunity, resistance, and susceptibility to diseases and associated
pathogens.
Other
promising developments include environmentally friendly fertilizers,
environmentally safe anti-biofouling products for ships and underwater
equipment, and molecular probes for detecting harmful marine algae
and invasive species.
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New
Developments |
Having
trouble understanding sci-tech terms? See our Glossary.
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The products and developments on this page address the issues of marine
pollution and pathogens. Whereas the products discussed below are
complete or near completion, numerous other research projects across
the nation also promise useful innovations. For a table summarizing
past and present Sea Grant research projects in marine biotechnology,
see Research Database. |
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Solutions
to the invasive zebra mussel are in sight...
Photo:
Wisconsin Sea Grant
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Zebra Mussel Solutions
Solutions
to the invasive zebra mussel are in sight with two developments.
Having
discovered a genetic probe specific for identifying zebra mussel larvae,
a research team is using it to develop a cost- effective "dipstick"
test for use in the field. The probe enables fast and simple screening
of water samples for zebra mussel veligers. The New York Sea Grant-supported
research team, led by Sandra Nierzwicki-Bauer, Rennselaer Polytechnic
Institute's Darrin Fresh Water Institute at Lake George, is cooperating
with industrial groups concerned with the colonization of their facilities
by zebra mussels.
A second development, also supported by New York Sea Grant, is a biotoxin
that is lethal to zebra mussels. Produced by a bacterial strain, the
biotoxin has proven harmless to other targeted mollusks and fish.
More
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bioremediation:
1. the act of treating waste or pollutants by the use of microorganisms
(as bacteria) that can break down the undesirable substances
2.
the branch of biotechnology that uses biological process to overcome
environmental problems
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Algae Cleaning Up Heavy Metals
Heavy
metal contamination of water and sediments in the Great Lakes
Basin has been linked to a several human health disorders, as
well as environmental degradation. Cleanup poses several problems.
Since heavy metals cannot be decomposed, they must be sequestered
from the environment. Current cleanup technologies are, for
the most part, nonrenewable, expensive, or unfeasible for aqueous
environments.
In
response, a research team from Ohio State University, funded
through Ohio Sea Grant, is developing a biological approach
to sequestering toxic heavy metals. Their environmentally safe
and renewable system is based on a single-celled alga, Chlamydomonas
reinhardtii, that can effectively concentrate trace metals.
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is being used because it has
a wide range of heavy metal tolerance, enabling it to sequester
an array of trace metals: copper, zinc, lead, cadmium, cobalt,
nickel, mercury, silver, and gold. In addition, this species
can be genetically engineered to enhance its ability to selectively
sequester toxic heavy metals. Series
of project reports, 1994-2003
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Better
detection of Dermo in oysters could help a flagging industry.
Photo:
Maryland Sea Grant
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Improving Dermo Detection in Oysters
Perkinsus marinus
infections, commonly known
as Dermo disease,
is a persisting challenge in attempts to reestablish the Chesapeake
Bay's once vital oyster fishery. To guard against planting uninfected
oysters into contaminated areas or transferring Dermo-infected
oysters into uncontaminated sites, one must be able to detect
the presence of Perkinsus marinus (Dermo infection) in
brood stick, spat, and adult oysters at very low levels. This
has not been possible with the labor intensive and relatively
insensitive laboratory procedures used to detect Dermo.
Recently,
the outlook for better detection and monitoring improved with
a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based diagnostic assay for detecting
Perkinsus marinus infections. This new molecular probe
is so sensitive it can detect just one or two cells of the parasite
in a tiny oyster larva. The research team, based at the University
of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, is using the probe to certify
disease-free oysters in hatcheries, to evaluate disease resistant
stocks in the Delaware Bay, and to compare oyster stocks in different
sites in the Chesapeake Bay.
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Magnified
view of the brown-tide organism (Aureococcus anophagefferens).
Photo:
Delaware Sea Grant
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Brown Tide Molecular Probe
Shellfish
and tourism industries along the middle and north Atlantic coast
have suffered extensive losses due to brown tide algal blooms.
A new molecular probe developed by marine scientists in Delaware
now enables resource managers to predict at-risk waters well before
a bloom occurs. The highly sensitive probe can detect the microscopic
plant at levels as low as 10 cells of per milliter of water. Using
the probe, investigator Dr. David Hutchins and his University
of Delaware students determined that the range of brown tide extends
as far south as northern Florida. Resource managers in numerous
states will find this new technology helpful in determining strategies
for the prevention and mitigation of brown tide. More
info.
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Dr.
David Kirchman is using DNA fingerprinting techniques to examine
the impact of organic pollutants on the Delaware Bay's microbes.
Photo:
Delaware Sea Grant
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Bacteria That Degrade Toxins
Highly
toxic polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) originating from tar,
wood preservatives, oil and other fossil fuels often are found
in estuaries impacted by industrial activity.
The toxic compounds
can cause tumors in fish and accumulate to lethal levels in
bottom-dwelling organisms, such as oysters. Applying DNA-fingerprinting
techniques to river-water samples, researchers associated with
Delaware Sea Grant have isolated marine bacteria that degrade
PAHs. Their continuing research on the effects of contamination
on the bacterial community structure will help determine if
natural processes are adequate to reduce estuarine PAH contamination.
Thus far, the team has learned that some bacteria are enhanced
by the pollutants, whereas others are inhibited by them. One
of the project collaborators is the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory,
whose scientists want to learn how rapidly nature, through bacteria,
might be able to detoxify PAH pollution. Reports
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Coastal-specific
genetic selection of sea oats is being used for erosion prevention in
Florida.
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Shoring Up Dunes
To
protect and restore seashores,
researchers supported by Florida Sea Grant have pioneered a superior
sea oat for dune restoration. By refining micropropagation procedures
using tissue culture the researchers have provided the means for
commercial growers to clone and produce these superior sea oats.
1996
newsletter article about this project
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Transgenic Plants Cleaning Up
A
low-cost approach to the remediation of highly toxic halogenated
organic pollutants has been developed by researchers supported
by South Carolina Sea Grant. Using a genetics-based phytoremediation
strategy, researchers enhanced the Spartina alterniflora
plant, so that it has increased degradation activity against halogenated
phenols, including the priority pollutant trichlorophenol (TCP).
The technology, now being pursued by private industry, could be
used for soil or water bioremediation in coastal sites.
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New
tests improve profits by detecting fish viruses.
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Diagnosing Fish Diseases
Fast
and effective tests that can help aquaculturists and fish pathologists
minimize losses to farmed fish are now commercially available.
Microbiologists at the University of Maine have developed
a diagnostic kit that uses monoclonal antibodies to diagnose infectious
fish diseases caused by aquatic birnaviruses. The kits are commercially
available to aquaculturists and fish pathologists throughout the
world. Other studies have led to the first PCR assay in which
multiple fish pathogens can be identified simultaneously.
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Detecting a Human Pathogen
Using
a new, highly sensitive molecular technique, researchers supported by
Maryland Sea Grant discovered that the human pathogen Cryptosporidium
parvum accumulates in oysters exposed to agricultural runoff into
the Chesapeake Bay. Their finding demonstrated the need for greater
precautions before the ingestion of raw oysters. Consequently, their
technique has had immediate applications within state health and environmental
agencies.
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Saving an Industry
A
new DNA-fingerprinting technique can be used to identify different
strains of Listeria,
a pathogenic bacterium that has threatened the existence
of the smoked fish industry. Because Listeria contamination
has caused human health problems, a national "zero tolerance"
policy was set concerning its presence in smoked fish. This molecular
test,
developed by researchers supported through New York Sea Grant,
enables
the quick detection of sites that have chronic contamination.
This also makes other effective control strategies possible. Because
of the test, the USDA has begun reviewing existing regulations,
and the future is looking brighter for those in the smoked fish
industry.
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University
of California Davis researchers Pat Conrad (left) and Melissa Miller
examine a scan of the lungs from a deceased sea otter.
Photo:
California Sea Grant
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Help for Otters
Offering a
partial explanation to a mysterious decline in sea otters in
California, scientists working on this project have found that
42% of live otters and 62% of dead ones carry antibodies to
the Toxoplasma gondiiparasite. This protozoa's eggs are
excreted in cat feces. Results from the project have shown that
otters near freshwater flows such as storm drains and river
mouths are three times more likely to be infected with T.
gondii, further supporting the theory that the parasite
comes from a land-based source, namely cats. The scientists
are identifying the risk factors for infection and sharing their
findings with wildlife biologists and veterinarians involved
with caring for the federally protected marine mammal.
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Biological Indicator of Fish Exposure to Carcinogens
Researchers studying
fish exposure to carcinogens in Indiana's Grand Calumet River
system have developed a rapid, sensitive assay that can
be used to detect fish exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
(PAHs) in contaminated aquatic ecosystems. Using caged brown
bullhead at sites with PAH-contaminated sediments, the researchers
quantified the concentration of a protein (CYP1A) involved in
the metabolic breakdown of PAH compounds. The concentration
of CYP1A protein in caged brown bullheads appears to be sensitive
to the amount of exposure received by the fish. It appears that
the CYP1A protein is a more sensitive test than a previously
used measure of metabolites. This
CYP1A indicator could be a valuable part of monitoring efforts
for all remediation projects where PAH-contaminated sediments
are a concern.
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