Citation:

MCKERNAN, J., R. James, Z. Willenberg, AND A. Dindal. Test/QA Plan for Verification of Coliform Detection Technologies for Drinking Water. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-10/103, 2010.

Impact/Purpose:

To inform public

Description:

The coliform detection technologies to be tested use chromatogenic and fluorogenic growth media to detect coliforms and E. coli based on the enzymatic activity of these organisms. The systems consist of single-use sample containers that contain pre-measured reagents and can be used in conjunction with a bench top incubator/analyzer/data logger system. In short, a 100 mL water sample is added to the containers and then incubated in and analyzed by the bench top instrument. In order to accommodate the large number of samples required for this test, the containers can be incubated in an external incubator, rather than in the bench top instrument, and then returned to the instrument for analysis. The enzymes produced by TC and E. coli cleave the chromatogenic or fluorogenic substrates in the growth media, resulting in the release of colored or fluorescent products. The bench top instruments include optical sensors and/or spectrophotometers that take readings of the sample at regular intervals to quantify the bacteria. The sample data and instrument calibration are stored on the instrument’s internal computer until it is retrieved with a flash drive or some other portable data transfer device.

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