BACKGROUND Drinking water quality can be deteriorated by microbial and toxic chemicals during transport, storage and handling before using by the consumer. This study was conducted to evaluate the microbial and physicochemical quality of drinking water from bottled water coolers. METHODS A total of 64 water samples, over a 5-month period in 2012-2013, were collected from free standing bottled...

Pollution history has often been proposed to explain site-dependent bioremediation efficiencies, but this hypothesis has been poorly explored. Here, bacteria and their heterotrophic nanoflagellates (HNF) predators originating from pristine and chronically oil-polluted coastal sites were subjected to crude oil ± nutrients or emulsifier amendments. The addition of crude oil had a more visible eff...

The relation between the plate count and the direct microscopic count of bacteria is of practical as well as theoretical importance. Particularly during the logarithmic growth period, where the constant rates are used for comparative purposes, it is desirable to know whether the number of cells as determined by plating always bear a constant relation to those enumerated microscopically, that is...

The microbiological quality of the five leading brands of Norwegian bottled still waters was investigated. All brands were free for the enteric indicator organisms and named pathogens whose absence is demanded in current quality directives. The relatively nutrient-poor agar R₂A revealed large heterogeneous bacterial populations which grew slowly, or not at all, on clinical media specified for u...

The investigation was carried out by evaluating the microbiological characteristics of the water before and after treatment with Er:YAG laser and turbine. The study was carried out in 2 dental surgeries. In both cases the laser and dental units were served by two independent circuits, fed by the same potable tap water. Samples were taken from the water supplying and the water leaving the turbin...

Chlorination and UV irradiation of RBC (rotating biological contactor)-treated light GW (greywater) was investigated. The ability of chlorine and UV to inactivate indictor bacteria (FC - Faecal Coliforms, HPC - Heterotrophic Plate Count) and specific pathogens (P.a. - Pseudomonas aeruginosa sp., S.a. - Staphylococcus aureus sp.), was assessed and their regrowth potential was examined. The RBC r...

A potable water survey, in two important municipalities of the state of Sinaloa, Mexico was conducted. Culiacan, capital city of Sinaloa and its neighboring municipality, Navolato were selected to enumerate Aeromonas hydrophila, Escherichia coli, fecal and total coliforms, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Heterotrophic plate count bacteria from 100 households' taps. Manganese; residual chlorine; pH;...

This paper examines the microbial quality of treated RBC (Rotating Biological Contactor) and MBR (Membrane Bioreactor) light greywater along a continuous pilot-scale reuse system for toilet flushing, quantifies the efficiency of UV disinfection unit, and evaluates the regrowth potential of selected microorganisms along the system. The UV disinfection unit was found to be very efficient in reduc...

In this study, we examined the bacterial accumulation in the filter feeder polychaete Branchiomma luctuosumGrube (Sabellidae). Analyses were performed on worm homogenates from 'unstarved' and 'starved' individuals, and seawater from the same sampling site (Gulf of Taranto, Western Mediterranean, Italy). Densities of culturable heterotrophic bacteria (22 degrees C), total culturable bacteria at ...

The objective of this study was to examine three well designs: drilled wells (20-30 m deep), closed dug wells (>5 m deep), and hand-dug open wells (<5 m deep), to determine the water quality for improving access to safe and clean water in rural communities. Heterotrophic plate count (HPC), total coliforms (TC), Escherichia coli (E. coli) and turbidity, were used to assess the water quality of 9...