This is an award to support research on developing a method for rapid detection and identification of the HIV-I in environmental media by use of a method involving extraction of nucleic acids from the samples and amplification of the target deoxyribonucleic acid sequences using a polymerase chain reaction method. This method has been used to detect low numbers of genetically engineered microorganisms in environmental media. A similar method proposed for study in this project has shown promise in improving the sensitivity for detection of retroviruses such as the HIV-I in environmental media. The results of this project are expected to be useful in developing a method for determining the presence and amount of the target virus in environmental media and may lead to development of strategies for use in engineering design of collection and treatment systems for waste residues that are contaminated with viruses of significance to public health.
