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. 1986 Sep;52(3):474–478. doi: 10.1128/aem.52.3.474-478.1986

Phenotypic characteristics of coliform and noncoliform bacteria from a public water supply compared with regional and national clinical species.

S C Edberg, V Piscitelli, M Cartter
PMCID: PMC203558  PMID: 3767357

Abstract

During the summer and fall of 1984, elevated total coliform counts were observed in the distribution system of a public water supply serving 350,000 people in south central Connecticut. As part of an investigation of possible health risks associated with the presence of bacteria in the water supply, bacterial isolates from the distribution system were compared with bacterial isolates of the same species obtained from a large regional teaching hospital and from a national compendium of clinical isolates. Characteristics analyzed included phenotypic metabolic activity, antimicrobial susceptibilities to clinically utilized antibiotics, temperature tolerance at 44.5 degrees C, and beta-glucuronidase activity in single-test form and on a selective medium. Environmental isolates lacked known plasmid-mediated characteristics, with the exception of one Escherichia coli isolate which showed some antibiotic resistance. Klebsiella pneumoniae, Klebsiella oxytoca, Enterobacter cloacae, and Enterobacter agglomerans from all sources were temperature tolerant and yielded positive fecal coliform tests. Only E. coli showed beta-glucuronidase activity (both in a single biochemical test and on a selective medium). No single characteristic analyzed was sufficient to establish an organism as either environmental or clinical in origin.

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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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