Daniel D. Jones

Research Description:

Microorganisms are capable of degrading a wide variety of chemical substances and there are many practical applications of this activity. Collaborative research in my laboratory has focused on the processes of microbial degradation of toxic industrial wastes and determination of the optimum conditions under which these processes occur. Current studies involve investigating the microbial activities associated with composting in an in-vessel system. The goals are to define more precisely the composting process and to determine conditions which enable the process to occur most rapidly.

Another area of active collaborative research is the application of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of DNA amplification to detect microbial pathogens in food and water. Combining multiplex PCR (simultaneous amplification of specific DNA sequences) with solid-phase, immobilized capture probes based on DNA-DNA hybridization can significantly improve the sensitivity and accuracy of detection of pathogens in food and water.

Representative Publications:

Jones, D.D., and A.K. Bej. 1993. Detection of Foodborne Microbial Pathogens Using Polymerase Chain Reaction Methods. In PCR Technology: Current Innovations, Eds. A. Griffin and H. Griffin, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. pp. 341-365.

Jones, D.D., R. Law, and A.K. Bej. 1993. Detection of Salmonella spp. in contaminated oysters using polymerase chain reaction and gene probes. Journal of Food Science 58(6):1191-1197.

Bej, A.K., J. Southworth, R. Law, D.D. Jones and M. Mahbubani. 1996. Detection of Salmonella typhimurium in chicken using polymerase chain reaction. Food Testing and Analysis 1(4):12-15.

Atkinson, C.F., D.D. Jones and J.J. Gauthier. 1997. Microbial activities during composting of pulp and paper-mill primary solids. World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology 13:519-525.

Mahbubani, M.H., F.W. Schaefer III, D.D. Jones and A.K. Bej. 1998. Detection of Giardia in environmental waters by immuno-PCR amplification methods. Current Microbiology 36:107-113.

Cook, K., D.D. Jones and J.J. Gauthier. 1998. Ability of mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria isolated from compost to respire at different temperatures. Compost Science. (Submitted)

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