The State Hygienic Laboratory came to the aid of researchers from the Environmental Protection Agency who are studying the impact of sunlight and microbiota (microscopic plants and animals) on waterborne pathogens in the Mississippi River. Asja Korajkic, Ph.D., post-doctoral researcher, and Brian McMinn, M.S., microbiologist, conducted a study in October for the EPA's Biohazard Assessment Research Branch of the National Exposure Research Laboratory. Their quality assurance guidelines required that the samples of water and vegetation from the Mississippi be received by a certified laboratory within two hours of collection. The Hygienic Laboratory was their lab of choice.
