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Performance Criteria

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Book cover Microbial Source Tracking: Methods, Applications, and Case Studies

Abstract

The establishment of rigorous, consistent performance criteria for microbial source tracking (MST) methods is essential for their usefulness and widespread acceptance as research and regulatory tools. In this chapter, we focus on performance criteria for library-independent methods, although many aspects of the discussion are applicable to both library-independent and library-dependent methods. We separate these criteria into three levels for ease of discussion: (1) the intrinsic characteristics of the “marker” (target), (2) protocols for generating laboratory data, and (3) field applications. By ensuring that a consistent set of metrics for characteristics such as accuracy and precision be applied to field studies and published works, we can begin to circumscribe the set of MST tools that will be most useful for discriminating among fecal pollution sources in environmental waters.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA

    Valerie J. Harwood

Authors
  1. Valerie J. Harwood
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  2. Donald M. Stoeckel
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Correspondence to Valerie J. Harwood .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Crop & Soil Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech, Prince Hall 401, Blacksburg, 24061, Virgin Islands, USA

    Charles Hagedorn

  2. Fac. Biologia, Depto. Microbiologia, Universitat Barcelona, Avenida Diagonal 645, Barcelona, 08028, Spain

    Anicet R. Blanch

  3. Dept. Biology, Div. Integrative Biology (IB), University of South Florida, E. Fowler Ave. 4202, Tampa, 33620, Florida, USA

    Valerie J. Harwood

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Harwood, V.J., Stoeckel, D.M. (2011). Performance Criteria. In: Hagedorn, C., Blanch, A., Harwood, V. (eds) Microbial Source Tracking: Methods, Applications, and Case Studies. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-9386-1_2

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