# 'Omics from Source to Sink: Microbiome of a Stream Irrigation System and its Potential Impact

> **NIH NIH P20** · UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT MANOA · 2023 · $182,585

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY- ‘Omics from Source to Sink: Microbiome of a Stream Irrigation System and Its
Potential Impact
Food-borne illnesses associated with consumption of contaminated fresh produce are widely reported in the
United States. Despite the recognized importance of irrigation water, a substantial unexplored gap exists in the
knowledge of microbial communities present in irrigation systems and their potential roles in pathogen
transmission and infection. This proposal addresses the critical need to determine potential microbial risk
factors for human and environmental health and aligns with the COBRE mission of “how environmental
microbes impact human health” as it aims to use ‘omics approaches to define relationships between
environmental microbiome and its potential impacts on human health. Soft rot pectinolytic bacterial plant
pathogens (SRP) macerate plant tissues of vegetable crops, producing a niche for foodborne human
pathogens (FBP) and enabling the latter to colonize fresh produce. Our specific aims are: (I) Determine the
composition and structure of the microbiomes of stream irrigation systems by amplicon and shotgun sequence
analyses, and (II) determine the role that microbes in irrigation water play in establishing niches for FBP by
internalization and in vivo interspecies interactions. Application of new technologies will permit more precise
identification of microbial communities and results of this study will elucidate the interactions between SRP
and FBP when co-infecting a plant host. The proposed research is creative and original in its genomic
approach and provides a sound model for studying associations of FBP with edible crops grown in many other
locations. Knowledge generated by this research will contribute not only to understanding the general ecology
of microbial communities, but more specifically to dynamics of FBP and their interactions with SRP. Our
projected results are expected to have important positive impacts on improving our understanding of
evaluating risk factors and help to resolve poorly understood mechanisms. This impact aligns with NIH’s
mission to seek fundamental knowledge to enhance health and reduce illness.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10712776
- **Project number:** 2P20GM125508-06
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT MANOA
- **Principal Investigator:** Mohammad Arif
- **Activity code:** P20 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $182,585
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2018-08-15 → 2028-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10712776

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10712776, 'Omics from Source to Sink: Microbiome of a Stream Irrigation System and its Potential Impact (2P20GM125508-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10712776. Licensed CC0.

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