Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Examining the Cumberland River’s Bacterial and Pathogenic Diversity in 2025 and 2026​

Publication Date

Fall 11-9-2026

College

College of Sciences & Mathematics

Department

Biology, Department of

SURS Faculty Advisor

Chris Barton & Matthew Heard

Presentation Type

Poster Presentation

Abstract

Urban freshwater systems are important recreational sources and can provide important resources such as food and drinking water. As a result, it is critical that regular testing for pollution and potential human pathogens is performed. The most important freshwater source for Nashville, TN, is The Cumberland River. Historically, surveillance of this river has largely relied on the detection of E. coli due to its value as an indicator organism. While useful, this approach does not directly measure the presence, or levels, of additional microbial communities that may, or may not, have public health implications. This study characterized large-scale microbial communities at four sites along the Cumberland River over a 3-week span in the summer of 2026 using high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene from environmental DNA (eDNA) collected from water samples. Our findings show the Cumberland River contains numerous pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria across all sites. We did not observe significant spatial or temporal differences in the presence of different species. Our data identified the presence of both pathogenic and non-pathogenic microbes and suggests that consistent monitoring of this freshwater system is important for public health.

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