Asli Aslan 
Assistant Professor | Georgia Southern University
Statesboro, GA, UNITED STATES
Dr. Asli Aslan specializes in Environmental Health Sciences
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Biography
Dr. Asli Aslan is a water microbiologist, and her research program bridges ecosystem and human health. She has ongoing funded projects on microbial source tracking, health risk assessment of water resources, and the ecology of pathogens in the aquatic environment. Dr. Aslan has been serving in various state and federal agencies and organizations as an adviser, reviewer, scientific committee member, and affiliated faculty. She is currently serving as the co-chair of the Water and Health Committee of the American Public Health Association.
Areas of Expertise (6)
Environmental Health Sciences
Water Quality
Environmental Molecular Microbiology
Global Environmental Health
Watershed Management
Wastewater Treatment
Education (4)
Michigan State University: Post Doctoral Researcher, Water Microbiology 2011
Istanbul University: Ph.D., Water Quality 2008
Istanbul University: M.Sc., Water Quality 2002
Istanbul University: B.S., Biology 1999
Affiliations (6)
- Co-Chair, American Public Health Association, Environmental Health Section, Water and Health Committee (2017-present)
- Co-chair, Georgia Public Health Association, Rural Health Section (2018-present)
- Adjunct Faculty, Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University (2017-present)
- Affiliate, Institute for Interdisciplinary STEM Education (2015-present)
- Affiliate, Georgia Coastal Research Council (2013-present)
- Affiliate, James H. Oliver Jr. Institute for Coastal Plain Science (2013-present)
Links (2)
Languages (2)
- English
- Turkish
Media Appearances (1)
Researchers to pinpoint Ogeechee pollution at Kings Ferry
Savannah Now
2014-12-20
“The public wants to know if they will get sick with exposure,” said Asli Aslan, an environmental microbiologist who is leading the investigation. “We want to know the possible sources of contamination. We will have an answer to that from this project. It will help us really restore that beach in the future.”...
Research Grants (5)
What’s in your water: The state of drinking water quality in Evans County
Evans County CARES Foundation $42,500
Microbial water quality in well water
Molecular identification of the sources of non-point pollution:Phase II: Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment
NOAA and GADNR $138,587
Molecular identification of the sources of non-point pollution and microbial risk assessment upon exposure to recreational waters at Jekyll Island Beaches, Phase II: Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment
Molecular identification of the sources of non-point pollution Phase I: Microbial Source Tracking
NOAA and GADNR $150,944
Molecular identification of the sources of non-point pollution and microbial risk assessment upon exposure to recreational waters at Jekyll Island Beaches, Phase I: Microbial Source Tracking.
Identification of the sources of pathogens in wetland sediments and their influence on beach water quality
NOAA and GADNR $233,242
Identification of the sources of pathogens in wetland sediments and their influence on beach water quality
Identification of pollution sources in Fortson Pond
Jekyll Island Authority $2,500
Identification of pollution sources in Fortson Pond
Articles (11)
Data on the risk perceptions of beach water safety in coastal Georgia
Data in BriefJeff Jones, Aslī Aslan, Rakhi Trivedi, Maria Olivas, Mikayla Hoffmann
2018 These data reflect the perceptions of beach water quality drawn from a convenience sample of 238 visitors to Georgia (USA) beaches collected in June–July 2017 and are related to the research article entitled “Water quality and the perception of risk: a study of Georgia, USA, beachgoers” (Jones et al., 2018). Data were collected both via an online survey distributed through Facebook and through in-person questionnaires collected directly on the beaches.
Presence of Antibiotic-Resistant Escherichia coli in Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluents Utilized as Water Reuse for Irrigation
WaterAsli Aslan, Zachariah Cole, Anunay Bhattacharya, Oghenekpaobor Oyibo
2018 Providing safe water through water reuse is becoming a global necessity. One concern with water reuse is the introduction of unregulated contaminants to the environment that cannot be easily removed by conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). The occurrence of ampicillin, sulfamethoxazole, ciprofloxacin, and tetracycline-resistant Escherichia coli through the treatment stages of a WWTP (raw sewage, post-secondary, post-UV and post-chlorination) was investigated from January to May 2016. The highest concentrations of antibiotic resistant E. coli in the effluent were detected in April after rainfall. Ampicillin-resistant E. coli was the most common at the post UV and chlorination stages comprising 63% of the total E. coli population. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) analysis showed that one in five isolates was resistant to three or more antibiotics, and the majority of these E. coli were resistant to ampicillin, followed by sulfamethoxazole and ciprofloxacin. The highest MIC was detected at the finished water after application of multiple disinfection methods. Tetracycline resistance was the least observed among others, indicating that certain drug families may respond to wastewater treatment differently. Currently, there are no policies to enforce the monitoring of antibiotic-resistant pathogen removal in WWTP. Better guidelines are needed to better regulate reuse water and prevent health risk upon exposure to antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Global Distribution of Human-associated Fecal Genetic Markers in Reference Samples from Six Continents
Environmental Science and TechnologyR. Mayer, G. Reischer, S. Ixenmaier, J. Derx, A. Blaschke, J. Ebdon, R. Linke, L. Egle, Ahmed, W., A. Blanch, D. Byamukama, M. Savill, D. Mushi, H. Cristóbal, T. Edge, M. Schade, A. Aslan, Y. Brooks, R. Sommer, Y. Masago, M. Sato, H. Taylor, J. Rose, S. Wuertz, O. Shanks, R. Mach, M. Zessner, A. Farnleitner
2018 Numerous bacterial genetic markers are available for the molecular detection of human sources of fecal pollution in environmental waters. However, widespread application is hindered by a lack of knowledge regarding geographical stability, limiting implementation to a small number of well-characterized regions. This study investigates the geographic distribution of five human-associated genetic markers (HF183/BFDrev, HF183/BacR287, BacHum-UCD, BacH, and Lachno2) in municipal wastewaters (raw and treated) from 29 urban and rural wastewater treatment plants (750–4 400 000 population equivalents) from 13 countries spanning six continents. In addition, genetic markers were tested against 280 human and nonhuman fecal samples from domesticated, agricultural and wild animal sources. Findings revealed that all genetic markers are present in consistently high concentrations in raw (median log10 7.2–8.0 marker equivalents (ME) 100 mL–1) and biologically treated wastewater samples (median log10 4.6–6.0 ME 100 mL–1) regardless of location and population. The false positive rates of the various markers in nonhuman fecal samples ranged from 5% to 47%. Results suggest that several genetic markers have considerable potential for measuring human-associated contamination in polluted environmental waters. This will be helpful in water quality monitoring, pollution modeling and health risk assessment (as demonstrated by QMRAcatch) to guide target-oriented water safety management across the globe.
Water quality and the perception of risk: A study of Georgia, USA, beachgoers.
Ocean and Coastal ManagementJones, J., Aslan, A., Olivas, M., Hoffman, M., Trivedi, R.
Water quality and the perception of risk: A study of Georgia, USA, beachgoers.
The impact of tides on microbial water quality at an inland river beach.
Journal of Environmental QualityAslan A., Anderson, K., Chapman, A.
The impact of tides on microbial water quality at an inland river beach.
Analysis of food service organization risk classification and associated food safety violation frequency
Journal of Environmental HealthChang, P., Rochani, H., Mase, W., Jones, J., Aslan, A.
Analysis of food service organization risk classification and associated food safety violation frequency
Coliphages as a beach water quality indicator to protect swimmer’s health in coastal Georgia
Journal of the Georgia Public Health AssociationGallard-Gongora, J., McGowan Munck, K., Jones, J. & Aslan, A.
Coliphages as a beach water quality indicator to protect swimmer’s health in coastal Georgia
New recreational water quality criteria and its impact on beach advisories in coastal Georgia
Journal of the Georgia Public Health AssociationAslan A., Benevente, S.
New recreational water quality criteria and its impact on beach advisories in coastal Georgia
Analysis of the persistence of enteric markers in sewage polluted water on a solid matrix and in liquid suspension
Water ResearchBrooks, Y., Aslan, A., Tamrakar, S., Murali, B, Mitchell, J., & Rose, J.B.
Analysis of the persistence of enteric markers in sewage polluted water on a solid matrix and in liquid suspension
Influence of the extreme conditions on the water quality and material exchange flux in the Strait of Istanbul
Journal of Marine SystemsAltıok, A., Aslan, A., Övez, S., Demirel, N., Yüksek, A., Kıratlı, N., Taş, S., Müftüoğlu, A. E., Sur, H.I., & Okuş, E.
Influence of the extreme conditions on the water quality and material exchange flux in the Strait of Istanbul
Evaluation of the host specificity of Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron alpha-1-6, mannanase gene as a sewage marker.
Letters in Applied MicrobiologyAslan, A. & Rose, J.B.
Evaluation of the host specificity of Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron alpha-1-6, mannanase gene as a sewage marker.
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