The microbiological quality of bottled water has been studied over the past 30 years as bottled water can contain pathogens. The aim of this study was to determine if retailed bottled water in New Zealand complied with the Australia and New Zealand Food Standards (ANZFS) Code (2002) and the New Zealand Microbiological Reference Criteria (1995). Thirty-eight domestic and imported bottled water ...
A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted to examine away-from-home drinking water consumption practices and the microbiological quality of water consumed in rural western Kenya. The study involved adults and schoolchildren. Data were collected using focus group discussions, questionnaire survey, observations, diaries and interviews. The findings suggest that away-from-home drinking water ...
Access to improved drinking water is widely advocated as an effective way to reduce diarrhoea-related morbidity and mortality, particularly in poorest areas of the world and in most vulnerable population segments like children. Initial focus on improved water at the source point has been replaced by an emphasis in promoting interventions to increase access to microbiologically improved drinking ...
Developing countries often struggle to conduct laboratory-based water quality testing programs due to a lack of financial and technical resources. However, inexpensive, accurate, field-based tests are being developed which have the potential to overcome this barrier. This paper provides the results of an initiative by the Provincial Health Office in Capiz, Philippines, to conduct a first-ever, ...
Four methods for enumerating Clostridium perfringens spores in water were evaluated: (1) the IMM (Iron Milk Medium) method (MPN); (2) the LS (Lactose Sulfite Broth) method (MPN); (3) the m-CP (membrane filtration Clostridium perfringens Agar) method (membrane filtration); and (4) the TSC (Tryptose Sulfite Cycloserine Agar) method (membrane filtration). The performance of these methods was ...
Target 7C of the Millennium Development Goals is to “halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation”. However, the corresponding indicator measures the “proportion of population using an improved drinking water source”. This raises the question of whether “safe” and “improved” can be used interchangeably. This paper tests this ...
In 1997, a compulsory notification system for waterborne outbreaks was introduced in Finland. The main aim of this notification is to obtain immediate information on suspected waterborne outbreaks in order to restrict and manage the outbreak promptly. During the past ten years, there have been 67 waterborne outbreaks in Finland, mainly associated with small groundwater supplies or private wells. ...
In microbiological water quality testing, sample dechlorination with sodium thiosulfate is recommended to ensure that results accurately reflect the water quality at sample collection. Nevertheless, monitoring institutions in low-resource settings do not always dechlorinate samples, and there is limited research describing how this practice impacts drinking water quality results. The effect ...
Escherichia coli (E. coli) is one of the most commonly adopted indicators for the determination of the microbiological quality in water and treated wastewater. Two main types of methods are used for the enumeration of this faecal indicator: membrane filtration (MF) and enzyme substrate tests. For both types, several substrates based on the β-D-glucuronidase activity have been ...
Microorganisms are the ideal indicators of the organic pollution of the surface waters because of their ability to promptly respond to environmental changes. Due to poor economic situation and lack of law implementation, most wastewaters in Serbia are released directly into a surface water recipient without any, or a limited, treatment. This practice has created numerous highly polluted ...
An estimated 1 billion persons in low-income countries do not have access to improved drinking water. Chlorine, a useful water treatment agent, is less effective in turbid water, and lacks a visible effect, limiting its acceptability. A product incorporating precipitation, coagulation, flocculation, and chlorination technology (combined product) to reduce microbial, organic and heavy metal ...
Loose deposits (LD) develop and accumulate in drinking water distribution systems' (DWDS) pipes and often lead to discolouration incidents, which are a major reason for customers' complaints. In addition, LD may accumulate contaminants, while discolouration may be accompanied by degradation of the water's microbiological quality. Along with iron oxides, organic compounds ...
Most microbiological water quality regulations rely upon the detection of indicators of fecal pollution, such as coliform bacteria, or more specifically Escherichia coli. In order to further understand the source, fate, and implications for water quality regulation, environmental E. coli isolates should be assessed genetically to observe various levels of genotypic diversity. Multiple-locus ...
Water samples collected from 100 public swimming pools in the West Bank of the Palestine by health inspectors. The samples were tested for microbiological quality for the years 2003, 2004 and 2005. The overall of unaccepted tested swimming pool water samples were as follows: 35.8% for total Coliforms (TC), 24.4% for faecal Coliforms (FC), 36% for Heterotrophic Plate Count (HPC), 39.3% Enterococci ...
Manyas, also known as the Bird Paradise Lake, is situated near the south-eastern coasts of the Marmara Sea in Turkey. This shallow lake, is a unique natural reserve providing habitat for migratory birds with its rich fauna and plankton species. The objective of this work is to study the ecological and water quality changes resulting from increasing anthropogenic pollution and human intervention ...
The microbiological quality of 75 private drinking water supply boreholes in Co. Cork, Ireland was assessed in order to determine the incidence of contamination and the potential pathways of such contamination. Microbiological analysis was carried out using the membrane filtration technique for the recovery of thermotolerant (faecal) coliforms. The sanitary protection of the supplies was ...
Coliforms are the most widely accepted bacterial indicator of fecal pollution in water. Several commercially available portable kits make it possible to carry out on-site water quality testing, but are usually costly and often require technical expertise to operate. In developing countries like India, presence/absence test kits like the H2S test kits are commonly used for routine ...
Use of holy springs and holy water is inherent in religious activities. Holy spring water is also used extensively for personal drinking water, although not assessed according to drinking water standards. Holy water in churches and chapels may cause infections via wetting of lips and sprinkling on persons. Our aim was to assess the microbiological and chemical water quality of holy springs and ...
Over the past ten years the management of microbiological drinking water quality in The Netherlands has shifted from curative administration toward a more preventative strategy. This shift in policy came as a result of the findings of reports from other developed countries which highlighted the risk from persistent pathogens such as Cryptosporidium, Giardia, some enteroviruses; and the pathogenic ...
Mangroves are vital part of the local economy for some communities in the region of Vitória, Brazil. Oysters, mussels, and crabs, which are naturally abundant in the mangroves, are harvested and largely consumed in restaurants and by the population. In recent years, unusually high rates of annual gastroenteritis cases have been reported in the region suggesting an association between the ...