Monitoring Wastewater Effluent using a Rapid, Automated Detection System for E. coli and Fecal Coliform Bacteria

Abstract
This study was done to characterize the use of the TECTA™ system for rapid, automated detection of Fecal Coliform (FC) and E. coli (EC) bacteria in a combined test, with incubation at 44.5 °C. It provided automatic detection without the need for a technician at the end of the test, and results were logged and transmitted by e-mail. The TECTA test was performed alongside reference methods (APHA Standard Method 9222D, mFC, for FC; US-EPA Method 1603, mTEC for EC) on sets of twenty replicate 10 mL samples. The TECTA method results were confirmed using a multi-step procedure developed using the guidelines of the US-EPA ATP protocol. Samples were produced by inoculating final sewage from three wastewater treatment plants with secondary effluent to provide various bacteria levels. The results showed that the TECTA system provided results in agreement with the reference methods for both FC and EC parameters, both quantitatively (CFU/100 mL) and in terms of specificity and sensitivity (>90%). The TECTA method had a wider dynamic range than the other methods and provided results in 12 hours or less for positive samples.

Keywords
Bacteria, Wastewater, E. coli, Fecal Coliforms, Rapid Detection, Automated Detection, Enzyme-Substrate Methods