In-Situ Detection Of Cryptosporidium Using Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy

ABSTRACT: In the United States and elsewhere in the developed world, there is great interest in trying to detect and quantify viruses in water supplies and treated drinking water. To achieve this goal, we examined the feasibility of using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) for the detection and enumeration of viruses in drinking water supplies. To acquire the necessary background in the handling of viruses and to become familiar with existing detection strategies, we collaborated with the laboratory of Dr. Tamar Kohn at the EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland. Ms. Krista Wigginton spent four months in Dr. Kohn’s laboratory learning existing techniques for virus handling, virus detection, and virus enumeration. By coupling these techniques with a SERS-based method, Ms. Wigginton was able to develop a new protocol for virus detection