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Regular testing leads to beach closures if high levels of bacteria are found in the water. But the time needed to grow and count bacterial colonies inserts a lag time of days between sampling and when signs are posted. Beaches may be closed after bacteria have dispersed, or kept open when bacteria are present but not yet counted. New methods of detection based on identifying bacterial DNA one day may significantly shorten the time between sampling and results and let managers make more timely decisions about beaches.
(Courtesy of Elizabeth Halliday, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)[back]
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