2nd floor, Marine Centre Wales

School of Ocean Sciences

Menai Bridge LL59 5AB

Phone: +44 (0) 1248 382615

Email: k.farkas@bangor.ac.uk

Google Scholar

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.

• PhD: Microbiology
  University of Canterbury, 2014
• MSc: Molecular genetics
  Eötvös Loránd University, 2007

- Human health-related water microbiology

- Environmental virology

- Enteric viruses

- Waterborne pathogens

- Water quality

- Shellfish hygiene

2022

• PublishedA 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
• E-pub ahead of printPrevalence and relative risk of rotavirus gastroenteritis in children under five years in Nigeria: A systematic review and meta-analysis
  Digwo, D., Chidebelu, P., Ugwu, K., Adediji, A., Farkas, K. & Chigor, V., 7 Mar 2022, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Pathogens and Global Health. 12 p., 2043223.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedUnderstanding and managing uncertainty and variability for wastewater monitoring beyond the pandemic: Lessons learned from the United Kingdom national COVID-19 surveillance programmes
  Wade, M. J., Lo Jacomo, A., Armenise, E., Brown, M. R., Bunce, J. T., Cameron, G. J., Fang, Z., Farkas, K., Gilpin, D. F., Graham, D. W., Grimsley, J. M. S., Hart, A., Hoffmann, T., Jackson, K. J., Jones, D. L., Lilley, C. J., McGrath, J. W., McKinley, J. M., McSparron, C., Nejad, B. F., Morvan, M., Quintela-Baluja, M., Roberts, A. M. I., Singer, A. C., Souque, C., Speight, V. L., Sweetapple, C., Walker, D., Watts, G., Weightman, A. & Kasprzyk-Hordern, B., 15 Feb 2022, In: Journal of Hazardous Materials. 424, Pt B, 127456.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2021

• PublishedAttenuation 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
• PublishedConcentration and quantification of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater using polyethylene glycol-based concentration and qRT-PCR
  Farkas, K., Hillary, L., Thorpe, J., Walker, D., Lowther, J. A., McDonald, J., Malham, S. & Jones, D. L., 23 Feb 2021, In: Methods and Protocols. 4, 1, 10 p., 17.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedInvestigating awareness, fear and control associated with norovirus and other pathogens and pollutants using best–worst scaling
  Farkas, K., Green, E., Rigby, D., Cross, P., Tyrrel, S., Malham, S. & Jones, D. L., 27 May 2021, In: Scientific Reports. 11, 1, 11 p., 11194.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedMonitoring 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
• PublishedSite 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
• PublishedTracing the fate of wastewater viruses reveals catchment-scale virome diversity and connectivity
  Adriaenssens, E. M., Farkas, K., McDonald, J. E., Jones, D. L., Allison, H. E. & McCarthy, A. J., 15 Sep 2021, In: Water Research. 203
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2020

• PublishedComparison of virus concentration methods for the RT-qPCR-based recovery of murine hepatitis virus, a surrogate for SARS-CoV-2 from untreated wastewater
  Ahmed, W., Bertsch, P., Bivins, A., Bibby, K., Farkas, K., Gathercole, A., Haramoto, E., Gyawali, P., Korajkic, A., McMinn, B., Mueller, J., Simpson, S., Smith, W., Symonds, E., Thomas, K., Verhagen, R. & Kitajima, M., 15 Oct 2020, In: Science of the Total Environment. 739, 139960.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedEmerging technologies for the rapid detection of enteric viruses in the aquatic environment
  Farkas, K., Mannion, F., Hillary, L., Malham, S. & Walker, D., Aug 2020, In: Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health. 16, p. 1-6
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedShedding 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
• PublishedViral indicators for tracking domestic wastewater contamination in the aquatic environment
  Farkas, K., Walker, D., Adriaenssens, E., McDonald, J., Hillary, L., Malham, S. & Jones, D. L., 15 Aug 2020, In: Water Research. 181, 115926.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedWastewater 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
• PublishedWastewater-Based Epidemiology: Global Collaborative to Maximize Contributions in the Fight Against COVID-19
  Bivins, A., North, D., Ahmad, A., Ahmed, W., Alm, E., Been, F., Bhattacharya, P., Bijlsma, L., Boehm, A. B., Brown, J., Buttiglieri, G., Calabro, V., Carducci, A., Castiglioni, S., Gurol, Z. C., Chakraborty, S., Costa, F., Curcio, S., de los Reyes, F. L. . III., Vela, J. D., Farkas, K., Fernandez-Casi, X., Gerba, C., Gerrity, D., Girones, R., Gonzalez, R., Haramoto, E., Harris, A., Holden, P. A., Islam, M. T., Jones, D. L., Kasprzyk-Hordern, B., Kitajima, M., Kotlarz, N., Kumar, M., Kuroda, K., La Rosa, G., Malpei, F., Mautus, M., McLellan, S. L., Medema, G., Meschke, J. S., Mueller, J., Newton, R. J., Nilsson, D., Noble, R. T., van Nuijs, A., Peccia, J., Perkins, T. A., Pickering, A. J., Rose, J., Sanchez, G., Smith, A., Stadler, L., Stauber, C., Thomas, K., van der Voorn, T., Wigginton, K., Zhu, K. & Bibby, K., 7 Jul 2020, In: Environmental Science and Technology. 54, 13, p. 7754-7757
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Editorial › peer-review

2019

• PublishedCritical Evaluation of CrAssphage as a Molecular Marker for Human-Derived Wastewater Contamination in the Aquatic Environment
  Farkas, K., Adriaenssens, E. M., Walker, D. I., McDonald, J., Malham, S. & Jones, D. L., 1 Jun 2019, In: Food and Environmental Virology. 11, 2, p. 113-119
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedViral dispersal in the coastal zone: A method to quantify water quality risk
  Robins, P., Farkas, K., Jones, D. L., Cooper, D. & Malham, S., May 2019, In: Environment International. 126, p. 430-442
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2018

• PublishedFish polyomaviruses belong to two distinct evolutionary lineages
  Van Doorslaer, K., Kraberger, S., Austin, C., Farkas, K., Bergeman, M., Paunil, E., Davison, W. & Varsani, A., 8 Mar 2018, In: Journal of General Virology. 99, 4, p. 567-573
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedGenomoviruses associated with mountain and western pine beetles
  Kraberger, S., Hofstetter, R. W., Potter, K. A., Farkas, K. & Varsani, A., 2 Sep 2018, In: Virus Research. 256, p. 17-20
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedSeasonal and diurnal surveillance of treated and untreated wastewater for human enteric viruses
  Farkas, K., Marshall, M., Cooper, D., McDonald, J. E., Malham, S. K., Peters, D. E., Maloney, J. D. & Jones, D. L., Nov 2018, In: Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 25, 33, p. 33391-33401
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedSeasonal 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 Sep 2018, In: Science of the Total Environment. 634, p. 1174 1183 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedTwo-Step Concentration of Complex Water Samples for the Detection of Viruses
  Farkas, K., McDonald, J., Malham, S. & Jones, D. L., 10 Sep 2018, In: Methods and Protocols. 1, 3, 35.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedViromic Analysis of Wastewater Input to a River Catchment Reveals a Diverse Assemblage of RNA Viruses
  Adriaenssens, E. M., Farkas, K., Harrison, C., Jones, D. L., Allison, H. E. & McCarthy, A., 22 May 2018, In: mSystems. 3, 3, e00025-18.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2017

• PublishedEvaluation of Molecular Methods for the Detection and Quantification of Pathogen-Derived Nucleic Acids in Sediment
  Farkas, K., Hassard, F., McDonald, J., Malham, S. & Jones, D., 24 Jan 2017, In: Frontiers in Microbiology. 6, p. 1-12 53.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedEvaluation of Two Triplex One-Step qRT-PCR Assays for the Quantification of Human Enteric Viruses in Environmental Samples
  Farkas, K., Peters, D. E., McDonald, J., de Rougemont, A., Malham, S. & Jones, D., Sep 2017, In: Food and Environmental Virology. 9, 3, p. 342-349
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedGenome 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
• PublishedGenome sequences of a capulavirus infecting Plantago lanceolata in the Åland archipelago of Finland
  Susi, H., Laine, A-L., Filloux, D., Kraberger, S., Farkas, K., Bernardo, P., Frilander, M. J., Martin, D. P., Varsani, A. & Roumagnac, P., 1 Jul 2017, In: Archives of Virology. 162, 7, p. 2041-2045
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedTracking 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. 144-152
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2016

• PublishedAbundance 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
• PublishedMolecular characterization and prevalence of two capulaviruses: Alfalfa leaf curl virus from France and Euphorbia caput-medusae latent virus from South Africa
  Bernardo, P., Muhire, B., Francois, S., Deshoux, M., Hartnady, P., Farkas, K., Kraberger, S., Filloux, D., Fernandez, E., Galzi, S., Ferdinand, R., Granier, M., Marais, A., Blasco, P. M., Candresse, T., Escriu, F., Varsani, A., Harkins, G. W., Martin, D. P. & Roumagnac, P., 1 Jun 2016, In: Virology. 493, p. 142-153
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedThe ancient evolutionary history of polyomaviruses
  Buck, C. B., Van Doorslaer, K., Peretti, A., Geoghegan, E. M., Tisza, M. J., An, P., Katz, J. P., Pipas, J. M., McBride, A. A., Camus, A. C., McDermott, A. J., Dill, J. A., Delwart, E., Ng, T. F. F., Farkas, K., Austin, C., Kraberger, S., Davison, W., Pastrana, F. V. & Varsani, A., 19 Apr 2016, In: PLoS Pathogens. 12, 4, e1005574.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2015

• PublishedAdsorption of Rotavirus, MS2 Bacteriophage and Surface-Modified Silica Nanoparticles to Hydrophobic Matter
  Farkas, K., Pang, L. & Varsani, A., 1 Sep 2015, In: Food and Environmental Virology. 7, 3, p. 261-268
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedGenome sequence of a diverse goose circovirus recovered from greylag goose
  Stenzel, T., Farkas, K. & Varsani, A., 30 Jul 2015, In: Genome Announcements. 3, 4, e00767-15.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedIdentification of an avian polyomavirus associated with Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae)
  Varsani, A., Porzig, E. L., Jennnings, S., Kraberger, S., Farkas, K., Julian, L., Massaro, M., Ballard, G. & Ainley, D. G., 1 Apr 2015, In: Journal of General Virology. 96, p. 851-857
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedIdentification 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. 1303-1311
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedSerological responses to Cryptosporidium antigens in inhabitants of Hungary using conventionally filtered surface water and riverbank filtered drinking water
  Farkas, K., Plutzer, J., Moltchanova, E., Torokne, A., Varro, M. J., Domokos, K., Frost, F. & Hunter, P. R., Oct 2015, In: Epidemiology and Infection. 143, 13, p. 2743-2747
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedSize 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. 135-138
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2014

• PublishedDetection 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. 19-26
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedMimicking 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. 167-179
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2013

• PublishedA 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. 231-235
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

• Environmental infectivity of SARS-CoV-2: COVID-19 call

  01/09/2020 – 30/06/2021 (Finished)

Fate of human pathogenic viruses in the environment (2015-2018): http://www.viraqua.uk/

Grant writing fellowship (2018)