THE BACTERIAL-FLORA IN BOTTLED NATURAL MINERAL-WATER SOLD IN ITALY

The heterotrophic plate counts of 31 glass and 40 plastic (PVC) bottle d mineral waters were examined and found to be generally low. The bact erial flora, isolated from Plate Count Agar plates, incubated at 37C, was composed of gram-negative, nonfermentative rods, gram-positive, ca talase positive cocci and gram-positive, regular and irregular rods. I ndicator pathogenic bacteria were analyzed both with the standard meth od and after resuscitation. Neither fecal streptococci nor Pseudomonas aeruginosa were isolated from any of the sample examined; coliform we re found with either the standard or resuscitation method, while Staph ylococcus aureus was detected only with the resuscitation method. The results obtained indicate the need of using, as routine, the resuscita tion treatment to recover the injured indicator or pathogenic organism s.