Vs. Springthorpe et al., INSITU SURVIVAL OF INDICATOR BACTERIA, MS-2 PHAGE AND HUMAN PATHOGENIC VIRUSES IN RIVER WATER, Water science and technology, 27(3-4), 1993, pp. 413-420
Citations number
12
Categorie Soggetti
Water Resources","Environmental Sciences","Engineering, Civil
Previous studies of microbial behaviour in situ have used dialysis sac
s and diffusion chambers to permit contact of contained microorganisms
with the external aqueous milieu. Their main limitation is a slow res
ponse to changes in water quality, preventing adequate simulation of f
ield conditions. This study used the ECODYNE system(TM), a new device
responsive to real time changes in water quality. It consists of a hol
low fibre membrane module and fluid reservoir which separates the test
microorganisms from the external environment. Use of a mixture of Esc
herichia coli, Enterococcus durans, MS-2 phage, poliovirus type 1 (Sab
in) and hepatitis A virus (HM-175) allowed direct comparison of their
survival in river water under identical conditions over a period of at
least 24 hours. The results can be summarised as follows: a) survival
patterns of E. coli in nutrient rich river water were highly variable
, b) a ten-fold or greater increase in numbers of E. coli was sometime
s observed in both laboratory and field tests, c) no regrowth was ever
observed with E. durans, and its titre declined faster than that of E
. coli, and d) over the first 24 hours, the phage survival was similar
to that of the human pathogenic viruses. The observations regarding t
he variable survival of E. coli and its potential for regrowth raise q
uestions about its suitability as a water quality indicator. MS-2 phag
e shows promise as an indicator of viral pollution, but requires furth
er study. The ECODYNE system proved highly suitable in this study, and
shows potential for other environmental interaction/environmental fat
e studies including ecotoxicological investigations and monitoring.