Dr Kata Farkas
Environmental Virologist
Contact info
Environment Centre Wales
School of Natural Sciences
Bangor University
Bangor LL57 2UW, UK
Phone: +44 (0) 1248 382615
Email: k.farkas@bangor.ac.uk
I competed my PhD in microbiology at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand in 2014. My research focused on the fate and behaviour of enteric viruses in groundwater. After finishing my studies, I was involved in various project that uses viral metagenomics approaches to identify viruses (both known and novel) in various ecosystems. Since 2015, I have been working at the Bangor University, on the Viraqua Project (www.viraqua.uk; 2015-2018) and at the Shellfish Centre (2019-onward).
My research focuses on the ecology and survival of viruses in the aquatic environment with a special interest in the fate of enteric viruses. Enteric viruses are responsible for the majority of gastroenteral illnesses globally putting an enormous burden on healthcare systems and the wider economy. These pathogens are often found in water reservoirs (recreational and drinking water sources, shellfish harvesting areas) and hence responsible for water- and foodborne outbreaks. I design and validate methods for the recovery of enteric viruses in the aquatic environment in order to quantify infectious viruses, understand viral ecology, describe novel and emerging strains and model viral transport in the environment.
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Near-source passive sampling for monitoring viral outbreaks within a university residential setting
Farkas, K., Kevill, J. L., Adwan, L., Garcia-Delgado, A., Dzay, R., Grimsley, J. M. S., Lambert-Slosarska, K., Wade, M. J., Williams, R. C., Martin, J., Drakesmith, M., Song, J., McClure, V. & Jones, D. L., 8 Feb 2024, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Epidemiology and Infection. 152, p. e31Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Size exclusion-based purification and PCR-based quantitation of MS2 bacteriophage particles for environmental applications
Farkas, K., Varsani, A., Marjoshi, D., Easingwood, R., McGill, E. & Pang, L., 1 Mar 2015, In: Journal of Virological Methods. p. 135-138Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Wastewater-based monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 at UK airports and its potential role in international public health surveillance
Farkas, K., Williams, R., Alex-Sanders, N., Grimsley, J. M. S., Pântea, I., Wade, M. J., Woodhall, N. & Jones, D. L., 19 Jan 2023, In: PLOS global public health. 3, 1, e0001346.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Wastewater and public health: the potential of wastewater surveillance for monitoring COVID-19
Farkas, K., Hillary, L., Malham, S., McDonald, J. & Jones, D. L., Oct 2020, In: Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health. 17, p. 14-20 7 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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A Gel Filtration-Based Method for the Purification of Infectious Rotavirus Particles for Environmental Research Applications
Farkas, K., Pang, L., Lin, S., Williamson, W., Easingwood, R., Fredericks, R., Jaffer, M. A. & Varsani, A., 1 Dec 2013, In: Food and Environmental Virology. 5, 4, p. 231-235Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Assessment of wastewater derived pollution using viral monitoring in two estuaries
Farkas, K., Mannion, F., Sorby, R., Winterbourn, B., Allender, S., Gregory, C. G. M., Holding, P., Thorpe, J. M., Malham, S. K. & Le Vay, L., 1 Mar 2024, In: Marine pollution bulletin. 200, 116081.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Site Specific Relationships between COVID-19 Cases and SARS-CoV-2 Viral Load in Wastewater Treatment Plant Influent
Fitzgerald, S. F., Rossi, G., Low, A. S., McAteer, S. P., O'Keefe, B., Findlay, D., Cameron, G. J., Pollard, P., Singleton, P. T. R., Ponton, G., Singer, A. C., Farkas, K., Jones, D. L., Graham, D. W., Quintela-Baluja, M., Tait-Burkard, C., Gally, D. L., Kao, R. & Corbishley, A., 16 Nov 2021, In: Environmental Science and Technology. 55, 22, p. 15276-15286 11 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Abundance and Distribution of Enteric Bacteria and Viruses in Coastal and Estuarine Sediments—a Review
Hassard, F., Gwyther, C. L., Farkas, K., Andrews, A., Jones, V., Cox, B., Brett, H., Jones, D., McDonald, J. & Malham, S., 1 Nov 2016, In: Frontiers in Microbiology.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Monitoring SARS-CoV-2 in municipal wastewater to evaluate the success of lockdown measures for controlling COVID-19 in the UK
Hillary, L. S., Farkas, K., Maher, K. H., Lucaci, A., Thorpe, J., Distaso, M. A., Gaze, W. H., Paterson, S., Burke, T., Connor, T. R., McDonald, J. E., Malham, S. K. & Jones, D. L., 15 Jul 2021, In: Water Research. 200, p. 117214 1 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Shedding of SARS-CoV-2 in feces and urine and its potential role in person-to-person transmission and the environment-based spread of COVID-19
Jones, D. L., Baluja, M. Q., Graham, D. W., Corbishley, A., McDonald, J. E., Malham, S. K., Hillary, L. S., Connor, T. R., Gaze, W. H., Moura, I. B., Wilcox, M. H. & Farkas, K., 20 Dec 2020, In: Science of the Total Environment. 749, 141364.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
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Poor air passenger knowledge of COVID-19 symptoms and behaviour undermines strategies aimed at preventing the import of SARS-CoV-2 into the UK
Jones, D. L., Rhymes, J., Green, E., Rimmer, C., Kevill, J., Malham, S., Weightman, A. & Farkas, K., 1 Mar 2023, In: Scientific Reports. 13, 1, 3494.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Suitability of aircraft wastewater for pathogen detection and public health surveillance
Jones, D. L., Rhymes, J., Wade, M. J., Kevill, J., Malham, S., Grimsley, J. M. S., Rimmer, C., Weightman, A. & Farkas, K., 15 Jan 2023, In: Science of the Total Environment. 856, Pt 2, p. 159162 159162.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Critical Evaluation of Different Passive Sampler Materials and Approaches for the Recovery of SARS-CoV-2, Faecal-Indicator Viruses and Bacteria from Wastewater
Jones, D. L., Grimsley, J. M. S., Kevill, J. L., Williams, R., Pellett, C., Lambert-Slosarska, K., Singer, A. C., Williams, G. B., Bargiela, R., Brown, R. W., Agency, UK. & Farkas, K., 6 Nov 2022, In: Water. 14, 21, 3568.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Genome sequences of Beet curly top Iran virus, Oat dwarf virus, Turnip curly top virus, and wheat dwarf virus identified in leafhoppers
Kamali, M., Heydarnejad, J., Pouramini, N., Masumi, H., Farkas, K., Kraberger, S. & Varsani, A., 23 Feb 2017, In: Genome Announcements. 5, 8, e01674-16.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Wastewater-based epidemiology for comprehensive community health diagnostics in a national surveillance study: Mining biochemical markers in wastewater
Kasprzyk-Hordern, B., Sims, N., Farkas, K., Jagadeesan, K., Proctor, K., Wade, M. J. & Jones, D. L., 15 May 2023, In: Journal of Hazardous Materials. 450, 1 p., 130989.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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A comparison of precipitation and filtration-based SARS-CoV-2 recovery methods and the influence of temperature, turbidity, and surfactant load in urban wastewater
Kevill, J. L., Pellett, C., Farkas, K., Brown, M. R., Bassano, I., Denise, H., McDonald, J. E., Malham, S. K., Porter, J., Warren, J., Evens, N. P., Paterson, S., Singer, A. C. & Jones, D. L., 20 Feb 2022, In: Science of the Total Environment. 808, 151916.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Use of Capsid Integrity-qPCR for Detecting Viral Capsid Integrity in Wastewater
Kevill, J. L., Farkas, K., Ridding, N., Woodhall, N., Malham, S. K. & Jones, D. L., 26 Dec 2023, In: Viruses. 16, 1Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Assessment of two types of passive sampler for the efficient recovery of SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses from wastewater
Kevill, J. L., Lambert-Slosarska, K., Pellett, C., Woodhall, N., Richardson-O'Neill, I., Pantea, I., Alex-Sanders, N., Farkas, K. & Jones, D. L., 10 Sept 2022, In: Science of the Total Environment. 838, 4, 156580.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Genomoviruses associated with mountain and western pine beetles
Kraberger, S., Hofstetter, R. W., Potter, K. A., Farkas, K. & Varsani, A., 2 Sept 2018, In: Virus Research. 256, p. 17-20Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Identification of novel Bromus- and Trifolium-associated circular DNA viruses
Kraberger, S., Farkas, K., Bernardo, P., Booke, C., Argüello-Astorga, G. R., Mesléard, F., Martin, D. P., Roumagnac, P. & Varsani, A., May 2015, In: Archives of Virology. 160, 5, p. 1303-1311Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Seasonal and spatial dynamics of enteric viruses in wastewater and in riverine and estuarine receiving waters
Malham, S., Farkas, K., McDonald, J., Jones, D. L., Cooper, D. & de Rougemont, A., 1 Sept 2018, In: Science of the Total Environment. 634, p. 1174 1183 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Attenuation and transport of human enteric viruses and bacteriophage MS2 in alluvial sand and gravel aquifer media-laboratory studies
Pang, L., Farkas, K., Lin, S., Hewitt, J., Premaratne, A. & Close, M., 15 May 2021, In: Water research. 196, 117051.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Tracking effluent discharges in undisturbed stony soil and alluvial gravel aquifer using synthetic DNA tracers
Pang, L., Robson, B., Farkas, K., McGill, E., Varsani, A., Gillot, L., Li, J. & Abraham, P., 15 Aug 2017, In: Science of the Total Environment. 592, p. 144-152Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Mimicking filtration and transport of rotavirus and adenovirus in sand media using DNA-labeled, protein-coated silica nanoparticles
Pang, L., Farkas, K., Bennett, G., Varsani, A., Easingwood, R., Tilley, R., Nowostawska, U. & Lin, S., 1 Oct 2014, In: Water Research. 62, p. 167-179Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Detection and genotype analysis of Giardia duodenalis from asymptomatic Hungarian inhabitants and comparative findings in three distinct locations
Plutzer, J., Torokne, A., Szenasi, Z., Kucsera, I., Farkas, K. & Karanis, P., Mar 2014, In: Acta Microbiologica et Immunologica Hungarica. 61, 1, p. 19-26Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review