Survival, Biofilm Formation, and Growth Potential of Environmental and Enteric Escherichia coli Strains in Drinking Water Microcosms.

ABSTRACT:

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Escherichia coli is the most commonly used indicator for fecal contamination in drinking water distribution systems (WDS). The assumption is that E. coli bacteria are of enteric origin and cannot persist for long outside their host and therefore act as indicators of recent contamination events. This study investigates the fate of E. coli in drinking water, specifically addressing survival, biofilm formation under shear stress, and regrowth in a series of laboratory-controlled experiments. We show the extended persistence of three E. coli strains (two enteric isolates and one soil isolate) in sterile and nonsterile drinking water microcosms at 8 and 17°C, with T90 (time taken for a reduction in cell number of 1 log10 unit) values ranging from 17.4 ± 1.8 to 149 ± 67.7 days

SUBMITTER: Abberton CL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4988207 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature