Two technicians travel by car to Half Moon Bay where they are able to quickly set up a DNA testing lab beside the beach. A small generator is used to power the AutoLyser and the Smart Cycler, as well as a peristaltic pump, a vacuum pump, a vortexer and two microfuges. This equipment could also have been powered from a 12 volt battery, owing to the low power consumption of this equipment. Sea water, which was collected in 1 liter sterile bottles, was passed through ultrafilters to concentrate bacteria and viruses, before isolation and purification of the DNA and RNA. A series of highly sensitive PCR tests for enterococcus, total coliform and fecal coliform bactera were run to determine the quantity of these pathogens. The time required to set up the lab, collect samples and carry out the tests was about 90 minutes.
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