Evaluation of colilert-marine water for detection of total coliforms and Escherichia coli in the marine environment.
A test that allows for early detection of fecally contaminated coastal water would enhance public health protection. Colilert-Marine Water (Colilert-MW; Environetics, Branford, Conn.) is a rapid 24-h test that has recently been developed to detect total coliforms and Escherichia coli in coastal water. We performed a premarketing evaluation of the Colilert-MW product, testing it in parallel with the multiple tube fermentation (MTF) method for 86 coastal water samples in southern California. Statistical analysis was performed by using paired t tests and linear regression. Bacterial isolates were evaluated by biochemical and genetic analysis. The results of this study showed a strong correlation between the traditional MTF and the Colilert-MW method for detection of total coliforms (r = 0.95) and E. coli (r = 0.89) in ocean water samples. Paired t-test results indicated that the Colilert-MW and MTF were equivalent in detecting E. coli and that the Colilert-MW may be more sensitive in the detection of total coliforms. We conclude that Colilert-MW would be a useful tool with which to monitor coastal beach water.
Palmer
C J
CJ
County Sanitation Districts of Orange County, Fountain Valley, California 92728-8127.
Tsai
Y L
YL
Lang
A L
AL
Sangermano
L R
LR
D001483:Base Sequence; D002140:California; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004755:Enterobacteriaceae / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005285:Fermentation; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes / Q000737:chemistry; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012623:Seawater; D014733:Vibrio / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014871:Water Microbiology; D014876:Water Pollution
D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes