Summary of Evaluation of Techniques for Measuring Microbial Hazards in Bathing Waters: A Comparative Study

• Technology Type: Advanced System for Coliform and E.coli Detection
• Application: Analysis of Coliforms and E.coli in Remote Site Waters
• Technology Name: TECTA B16
• Company: Pathogen Detection Systems, Inc.
• Address: 382 King St. East, Kingston, Ontario, Canada K7K 2Y2
• Web Site: www.tecta-pds.com

This is a fully external evaluation of the TECTA B16 advanced system against a conventional method for monitoring total coliforms (TC) and E. coli (EC) in bathing waters of Australia. The evaluation was performed by Monash University in Australia with funding from Melbourne Water and Victoria Environmental Protection Authority.

A detailed description of the TECTA™ B16 system is available.

Verification Test Description
The performance of the TECTA B16 advanced culture-based method was compared with the traditional IDEXX Colilert Quantitray defined-substrate method for analysis of Total Coliform and E. coli in bathing waters. Both method results were reported in their respective quantitative format of MPN/100mL for reference method and CFU/100mL for TECTA method. The samples were obtained from Melbourne’s recreational waters, with samples collected over the 2014–2015 swimming season for analysis by both methods. They also compared estimated cost, operator time, and time to reporting for both methods.