The Texas BST Library currently contains more than 1,942 E. coli isolates obtained from more than 1,775 different domestic sewage, wildlife, livestock and pet fecal samples. These isolates represent more than 50 animal subclasses and were selected by screening thousands of E. coli from many different studies throughout Texas.
The Texas Bacterial Source Tracking Program is a joint program of TWRI, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health in El Paso. Currently, Dr. Anna Gitter at UTHealth Environmental Microbiology Laboratory and Dr. Terry Gentry at the Texas A&M University Soil and Aquatic Microbiology Laboratory oversee and maintain the Texas BST Library, continuously testing its accuracy and refining its composition. Continued BST application across Texas remains a valuable tool to inform watershed stakeholders in watershed planning and implementation efforts.
