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The Use of Bacterial Adherence to Hydrocarbons (BATH) Assay in Evaluation of the Hydrophobic Surface Characteristics of Potential Water Pathogens
Citation:
Popovici, J., C. White, AND D. A. LYTLE. The Use of Bacterial Adherence to Hydrocarbons (BATH) Assay in Evaluation of the Hydrophobic Surface Characteristics of Potential Water Pathogens. Presented at EPA Workshop on Small Drinking Water Systems: Compliance Strategies, Cincinnati, OH, August 10 - 12, 2010.
Impact/Purpose:
To inform the public.
Description:
Bacterial adherence to hydrocarbons, BATH, is a method for determining the hydrophobic surface characteristics of bacterial cells. The strain’s affinity for water is evaluated by thoroughly mixing a culture and hydrocarbon suspension and then evaluating the decrease in optical density of the culture phase. The decrease in optical density correlates with the hydrophobicity of the strain. The purpose of this research is to determine the hydrophobic surface characteristics of potential drinking water pathogens using the BATH assay. The most hydrophobic strains were found to be two strains of Vibrio cholerae. The least hydrophobic strains were found to be two wild type strains of Escherichia coli. The hydrocarbon found most useful for the BATH assay was n-octane.