ISSN:
1747-6593
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Energy, Environment Protection, Nuclear Power Engineering
Notes:
The microbiological safety of water supplies is at present assured by monitoring for the absence of the faecal indicator organisms, total coliform bacteria and Escherichia coli. This monitoring work represents the bulk of the workload of microbiology laboratories in the water industry. The accuracy of current methods is not questioned, but the times taken to obtain a presumptive result (18 h) and a confirmed result (up to 72 h) impose delays, particularly with regard to the recommissioning of distribution systems. There is therefore a continued demand for more rapid techniques, which has not been satisfied, despite the advances in analytical methods which have been adopted in other industries. Alternatives to the traditional culture-based methods are reviewed in this paper, and promising techniques for water applications are highlighted. Highly specific bacterial labelling methods and sensitive instrumentation for detection and enumeration already exist, so that rapid same-day detection of coliforms is technically feasible. Suitable separation methods for rapid analysis of water samples have not yet been developed, but antibody-mediated separations which are now employed in clinical and food microbiology may be applicable.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-6593.1995.tb00930.x
