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. 1988 Aug;54(8):2118–2122. doi: 10.1128/aem.54.8.2118-2122.1988

Rapid detection of total and fecal coliforms in water by enzymatic hydrolysis of 4-methylumbelliferone-beta-D-galactoside.

J D Berg 1, L Fiksdal 1
PMCID: PMC202813  PMID: 3178215

Abstract

Three fluorogenic methylumbelliferone (MU) substrates were evaluated for rapid detection of total and fecal coliform bacteria (TC and FC) in drinking water. 4-MU-beta-D-galactoside, MU-heptanoate, and MU-glucuronide were used to determine enzyme activity as a surrogate measure of coliform concentration. Coliforms occurring in river water and in potable water artificially contaminated with raw sewage were tested. The initial rate of hydrolysis (delta F) of MU-beta-D-galactoside showed promise as an indicator of TC and FC within 15 min. delta F of MU-glucuronide was insufficient in the 15-min assay, and combinations of the MU substrates did not enhance delta F. A direct membrane filter method incorporating MU-beta-D-galactoside into an agar medium allowed the detection of as few as 1 FC per 100 ml within 6 h.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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