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. 1991 Apr;106(2):345–354. doi: 10.1017/s0950268800048494

Methods for enumerating Escherichia coli in subtropical waters.

W H Cheung 1, D K Ha 1, K Y Yeung 1, R P Hung 1
PMCID: PMC2272005  PMID: 2019302

Abstract

The standard membrane filtration method of the UK has been modified in order to improve its specificity for enumerating Escherichia coli in the subtropical waters of Hong Kong. This involves incorporating into the membrane lauryl sulphate (mLS) method either an in situ urease test (the mLS-UA method), or an in situ beta-glucuronidase test (the mLS-GUD method). The false-positive errors of the mLS-UA and mLS-GUD methods are low, ranging from 3-5%. A comparison between the membrane filtration (mLS-UA) method and the multiple tube technique in testing E. coli in subtropical beach-waters has demonstrated that the former can give much more precise counts, and is the method of choice for such a purpose. The mLS-GUD method, for which automated counting of E. coli colonies is possible, is a good alternative to mLS-UA in routine enumeration of this bacterial indicator in environmental waters.

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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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