• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.904-908
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• 2007

The protozoan pathogen Giardia lamblia has been major cause of waterborne enteric disease. In this study, we tried to identify G. lamlbia of human infectious species and to detect viable C. lamblia in river water samples including three sites of Han River mainstream and an its creek using PCR and RT-PCR technique. The PCR/RT-PCR methods were performed by using giardin primer based on the giardin gene targeting ventral disk of Giardia. Sensitivity testing in the DNA/RNA extraction and PCR/RT-PCR amplification steps showed that it was possible to detect a single cyst of G. lamblia and viable G. lamblia. The PCR/RT-PCR methods were compared with immunofluorescence(IF) assay by analyzing 48 samples collected from the mainstream water and the creek water. The mean concentration of the total cysts were 6.3 cysts/10 L(arithmetic mean, n = 48) and the positive detection rate were 62.5%(30/48). And the mean concentration of the cysts excluding empty cysts were 4.5 cysts/10 L and the positive detection rate were 52.1%(25/48). It resulted that 24 of 48 samples included Giardia lamblia by PCR assay and 10 of 48 samples included viable G. lamblia by RT-PCR assay. It resulted that the PCR/RT-PCR technique would be available to river water samples with low concentration of Giardia cysts. And it could support the Korean protozoan standard method, which provides useful information for species and viability.