余氯对河流水体微生物灭活效应的评价

【目的】研究不同余氯浓度和暴露时间对细菌的去除效果,分析不同余氯条件对细胞ATP的影响。【方法】以河水中微生物群落为试验对象,利用流式细胞术(Flow cytometry,FCM)评估不同余氯浓度和暴露时间的灭活效果,检测不同余氯浓度时细胞内(外)ATP的变化情况。【结果】不同余氯浓度和暴露时间对细菌的去除效果产生不同的结果。在余氯浓度2 mg/L情况下,延长氯暴露时间可以增加细菌的去除效果,在余氯浓度≥2 mg/L条件下,较短氯暴露时间就可以灭活90%细菌。高核苷酸细菌(HNA)和低核苷酸细菌(LNA)表现出不同氯耐受能力,且HNA细菌相比LNA细菌较容易受到氯的损伤。细胞内ATP随余氯浓度增加而减少,在高浓度余氯条件下(≥2 mg/L)细胞外ATP才会增加。【结论】微生物活性随着余氯作用的增加而降低,FCM法和ATP检测法可以用于评估加氯消毒对微生物稳定性的影响。     

3种淡水环境中低核酸含量细菌的滤过性

【目的】增加低核酸含量(LNA)细菌与过滤性细菌之间的认识。【方法】采用流式细胞技术(FCM)、变性梯度凝胶电泳(DGGE)及统计学分析研究3种典型淡水环境中细菌群落与滤过性。【结果】LNA细菌与过滤性细菌在数量上具有很好的相关性(y=0.646x+22.42,R2=0.984,P0.01),细菌的滤过性不仅与细菌大小有关,还与细胞整体形状及其伸缩性有关;细菌群落组织与LNA细菌比重呈负相关性,而与HNA细菌呈正相关性。【结论】0.45μm膜过滤对水样微生物群落中的LNA细菌具有极强的筛选效果;细菌群落组织与其基于流式细胞技术测定的基因含量具有密切联系。     

流式细胞仪检测纳帕海高原湿地浮游病毒和浮游细菌丰度

【背景】浮游病毒是水体微生物群落中重要的组成成分,深入研究浮游病毒的时空分布有助于更好地保护和开发当地的微生物资源。【目的】对采集到的纳帕海高原湿地水样中的浮游病毒和浮游细菌进行计数,揭示纳帕海高原湿地浮游病毒的分布规律。【方法】采用流式细胞仪检测2013年12月和2014年9月纳帕海高原湿地7个水样的浮游病毒与浮游细菌丰度,并对影响浮游病毒丰度的因素,如细菌丰度、叶绿素a含量以及其他环境因子进行了相关性分析。【结果】季节分布上,雨季浮游病毒和浮游细菌丰度高于旱季;水平分布上,原水样品的浮游病毒高于湿地水和淤泥水。旱季水样的浮游病毒丰度受到细菌丰度及叶绿素a浓度的影响较大;雨季水样的浮游病毒丰度受到水体的p H值和温度的影响较大。【结论】纳帕海高原湿地的浮游病毒和浮游细菌是比较活跃的。浮游病毒丰度在不同季节、不同采样点受到细菌丰度和叶绿素a浓度等因素的不同影响。在旱季噬菌体而非噬藻体或浮游植物病毒是纳帕海高原湿地中浮游病毒的优势种群。     

利用ATP扩增反应与生物发光法结合检测微量微生物

摘要:【目的】腺苷酸激酶（adenylate kinase, ADK）和多聚磷酸盐激酶（polyphosphate kinase, PPK）偶联催化的ATP扩增反应结合生物发光检测法能够对微量微生物进行检测。但是PPK当中结合的内源性的ADP会产生背景干扰,影响测定。本文旨在融合表达ADK和PPK,并建立一种方便有效的内源性ADP的去除方法,降低背景,使之与传统生物发光法结合,实现高灵敏生物发光法检测微量ATP及微生物。【方法】PCR扩增得到PPK、ADK基因,插入表达载体pET28a (+)中构建重组表达质粒pET28a (+)-PPKADK,表达PPK-ADK融合蛋白。利用表面包裹聚胺醇（Polyurethane）的磁珠（magnetic beads）,通过化学反应将腺苷酸双磷酸酶（apyrase）固定于磁珠表面,制备固相腺苷酸双磷酸酶（Beads-apyrase）,用于除去与融合蛋白结合的内源性ADP,降低ATP扩增反应的背景,从而使之与生物发光反应相结合,测定微量外源ATP及细菌菌落数。【结果】表达的融合蛋白具有PPK和ADK的活性,利用Beads-apyrase可以方便而有效的去除内源性ADP,显著地降低反应背景,从而实现了利用ATP扩增反应与传统生物发光反应结合,测定了小于1 fmol的外源微量ATP,使生物发光法检测ATP及微生物的灵敏度提高至少100倍。【结论】利用Beads-apyrase能够方便、有效地降低PPK-ADK中的ADP背景,从而使PPK-ADK催化的ATP扩增反应能够与传统生物发光法相结合,极大地提高了生物发光法的灵敏度。     

海州湾近岸海域的微生物群落结构和抗生素抗性基因时空变化

【背景】近岸海域抗生素抗性基因(antibiotic resistance genes, ARGs)的污染和累积将直接影响海产品质量和安全,海州湾作为江苏省的四大渔场之一,是江苏渔业发展的主要载体,有多条大小河流注入,沿岸为重要农业区,对公众健康产生重大影响。【目的】对海州湾夏秋季的水样及沉积物展开微生物及ARGs检测。【方法】基于宏基因组测序技术开展海州湾夏秋两季近岸6个站点中水体和沉积物中ARGs种类和相对丰度以及微生物群落的组成研究。【结果】变形菌门(Proteobacteria)和放线菌门(Actinobacteria)是夏秋季度两种介质中最优势的门类,水样中优势的科级细菌为红细菌科(Rhodobacteraceae),沉积物样品中为脱硫杆菌科(Desulfobacteraceae);夏季水样中的ARGs相对丰度要明显高于秋季,但沉积物中不同季节的ARGs相对丰度未表现出明显的变化趋势;在水样中主要门级微生物群落的抗性机制主要是抗生素靶位替换和抗生素靶位保护,沉积物样品则以抗生素灭活机制为主,而主要科级微生物群落的抗性机制更加多样;冗余分析(redundancyanalysis...     

河南鲁山五大温泉水细菌多样性分析

【背景】位于河南中部的平顶山市含有丰富的温泉资源,对温泉水中的微生物多样性和群落结构进行研究有助于更好地开发利用温泉资源。【目的】探究河南鲁山五大温泉水中(上汤、中汤、下汤、温汤和神汤)细菌多样性。【方法】采用Illumina Hi Seq2500 PE250技术对鲁山五大温泉水细菌的16S r RNA基因V3-V4变异区序列进行测序,应用UPARSE、Mothur、Silva、MUSCLE和QIIME等软件整理和统计样品序列数目和操作分类单元(Operational taxonomic unit,OTU)数量,最后分析五大温泉水中细菌的丰度和多样性。【结果】上汤、中汤、下汤、温汤和神汤分别获得56 017、68 319、65 247、59 340、68 825条有效Tags,聚类为670、287、337、598、381个OTU。细菌分类分析表明,五大温泉水的细菌超过40个门,变形菌门(Proteobacteria)占84.12%,是优势菌;在属分类阶元上,五大温泉水的细菌超过239个属,上汤的优势菌是不动杆菌属(Acinetobacter),中汤的优势菌是Tepidimonas,下汤的优势菌是Vogesella和不动杆菌属(Acinetobacter),温汤的优势菌是Sphingopyxis和新鞘脂菌属(Novosphingobium),神汤的优势菌是Aquabacterium。【结论】鲁山五大温泉水中含有丰富的微生物资源,为后续五大温泉水中的微生物资源开发奠定了基础。     

马里亚纳海沟不同深度水样微生物分离与多样性分析

【背景】马里亚纳海沟挑战者深渊是地球表面最深点,认识其微生物群落结构和分离培养的微生物对挖掘新的微生物资源具有重要意义。【目的】对马里亚纳海沟不同深度水样进行细菌分离培养,并与这些样品的微生物群落结构进行比较,认识进一步要分离培养的微生物类型。【方法】采用不同培养基对马里亚纳海沟两个站位不同深度水样进行细菌分离培养,并通过Illumina MiSeq高通量测序分析各个水样的细菌和古菌的群落结构。【结果】从来自两个站位不同深度的6个水样样品中分离获得783株细菌,属于4个门6个纲28个属。其中,变形菌门占主导地位,67.8%的菌株属于γ-变形菌纲。分离获得的菌株主要属于亚硫杆菌属、假单胞菌属和交替假单胞菌属,它们在这些样品中广泛分布,且在高通量测序结果中也能检测到。高通量测序结果表明除浅层样品优势微生物为蓝细菌外,其他样品以变形菌门占主导;不同深度样品的微生物群落结构存在较大差异。【结论】马里亚纳海沟不同深度水样中不仅分离培养出了相对丰度较高的一些细菌属,也分离得到一些相对丰度较低的微生物类型。从马里亚纳海沟水样中分离培养获得的细菌菌株资源将用于功能微生物和功能酶挖掘等相关研究,这有利于深渊微生物资源挖掘。     

X射线对我国两种典型土壤中微生物活性及群落结构的影响

【目的】X射线断层扫描技术(X-ray micro-Computed Tomography,micro-CT)能够原位、无损伤的解析土壤物理结构,有望与土壤微生物研究结合,以有助于更好的了解土壤生态系统。由于土壤的高度异质性,X射线扫描和土壤微生物分析应为同一样品,但是关于X射线扫描后的土壤样品是否兼容土壤微生物分析却鲜有报道,即X射线扫描是否影响土壤微生物的活性及群落尚未明确。【方法】本研究采集我国华北地区潮土和亚热带红壤,利用平板计数、微量热技术和高通量测序技术研究了X射线扫描对可培养微生物数量、土壤微生物的代谢热和群落结构的影响。【结果】X射线辐射显著降低了2种土壤中活体细菌的数量,同时微生物的代谢活性也发生改变;在分子水平上,基于细菌16S r RNA基因的高通量数据显示2种土壤的细菌多样性指数发生了变化,而其群落结构均无改变。【结论】X射线断层扫描技术并不兼容土壤微生物功能的研究;但可兼容基于分子生物学的微生物群落结构分析。     

三氯乙酸(TCA)提取法与微波提取法检测活性污泥中三磷酸腺苷(ATP)

【目的】针对活性污泥法中的重要参数ATP进行研究分析,通过在不同条件下检测污泥的活性,得出以ATP为指标的污泥活性状态,为准确判定活性污泥的活性提供依据。【方法】分别运用三氯乙酸(TCA)提取法及微波提取法检测活性污泥中的ATP,并对检测ATP的影响因素(TCA浓度、冰浴时间、p H、微波频率及时间等)进行探讨与优化。【结果】运用TCA提取法检测ATP时,在1.0%-7.0%的TCA体积百分数内,活性污泥中TCA最佳体积百分数为2.5%;在2-60 min的冰浴时间内,最佳冰浴时间为10 min;三羟甲基丙烷-乙二胺四乙酸(Tris-EDTA)缓冲液的最佳p H 7.5;运用微波提取法检测ATP适宜的微波辐射条件为:功率800 W,辐射时间15 s。【结论】TCA提取法和微波提取法均可以检测活性污泥中的ATP,但与微波提取法相比,TCA提取法更能保证从细胞内释放出来的ATP的完整性,因此TCA提取法更适合用于检测活性污泥中的ATP。     

印度洋可培养解有机磷细菌的多样性及解磷特性

【目的】筛选获得印度洋海水解有机磷细菌,研究其解有机磷作用机理,初步了解该地区可培养有机磷细菌的系统发育多样性。【方法】采用卵磷脂培养基从分离自印度洋的细菌中筛选解有机磷细菌,根据16S rRNA基因序列确定获得的有机磷细菌的分类地位;同时挑选解磷效果显著的3株细菌利用液体发酵进行产酶和解磷特性分析。【结果】自916株细菌中得到99株具有解有机磷活性的细菌,分属于16个属。在以卵磷脂为其有机磷来源时,菌株India-BSP-1 (Cobetia sp.)、India-BSP-21 (Pelagibaca sp.)、India-BSP-23 (Pelagibacterium sp.)的培养液中磷酸盐(DIP)浓度曲线为N型,并且碱性磷酸酶的检测活性滞后于DIP的生成。【结论】印度洋海水中解有机磷细菌种类多样性丰富,疑似有新种;解有机磷细菌的解磷特性受DIP和碱性磷酸酶相互作用的影响。     

Characterization of bioluminescent derivatives of assimilable organic carbon test bacteria

The assimilable organic carbon (AOC) test is a standardized measure of the bacterial growth potential of treated water. We describe the design and initial development of an AOC assay that uses bioluminescent derivatives of AOC test bacteria. Our assay is based on the observation that bioluminescence peaks at full cell yield just prior to the onset of the stationary phase during growth in a water sample. Pseudomonas fluorescens P-17 and Spirillum sp. strain NOX bacteria were mutagenized with luxCDABE operon fusion and inducible transposons and were selected on minimal medium. Independent mutants were screened for high luminescence activity and predicted AOC assay sensitivity. All mutants tested were able to grow in tap water under AOC assay conditions. Strains P-17 I5 (with p-aminosalicylate inducer) and NOX I3 were chosen for use in the bioluminescence AOC test. Peak bioluminescence and plate count AOC were linearly related for both test bacteria, though data suggest that the P-17 bioluminescence assay requires more consistent luminescence monitoring. Bioluminescence results were obtained 2 or 3 days postinoculation, compared with 5 days for the ATP luminescence AOC assay and 8 days for the plate count assay. Plate count AOC assay results for nonmutant and bioluminescent bacteria from 36 water samples showed insignificant differences, indicating that the luminescent bacteria retained a full range of AOC measurement capability. This bioluminescence method is amenable to automation with a microplate format with programmable reagent injection.     

Characterization of Bioluminescent Derivatives of Assimilable Organic Carbon Test Bacteria

The assimilable organic carbon (AOC) test is a standardized measure of the bacterial growth potential of treated water. We describe the design and initial development of an AOC assay that uses bioluminescent derivatives of AOC test bacteria. Our assay is based on the observation that bioluminescence peaks at full cell yield just prior to the onset of the stationary phase during growth in a water sample. Pseudomonas fluorescens P-17 and Spirillum sp. strain NOX bacteria were mutagenized with luxCDABE operon fusion and inducible transposons and were selected on minimal medium. Independent mutants were screened for high luminescence activity and predicted AOC assay sensitivity. All mutants tested were able to grow in tap water under AOC assay conditions. Strains P-17 I5 (with p-aminosalicylate inducer) and NOX I3 were chosen for use in the bioluminescence AOC test. Peak bioluminescence and plate count AOC were linearly related for both test bacteria, though data suggest that the P-17 bioluminescence assay requires more consistent luminescence monitoring. Bioluminescence results were obtained 2 or 3 days postinoculation, compared with 5 days for the ATP luminescence AOC assay and 8 days for the plate count assay. Plate count AOC assay results for nonmutant and bioluminescent bacteria from 36 water samples showed insignificant differences, indicating that the luminescent bacteria retained a full range of AOC measurement capability. This bioluminescence method is amenable to automation with a microplate format with programmable reagent injection.     

Development and Application of a Bioluminescence-Based Test for Assimilable Organic Carbon in Reclaimed Waters

Assimilable organic carbon (AOC) is an important parameter governing the growth of heterotrophic bacteria in drinking water. Despite the recognition that variations in treatment practices (e.g., disinfection, coagulation, selection of filter media, and watershed protection) can have dramatic impacts on AOC levels in drinking water, few water utilities routinely measure AOC levels because of the difficulty of the method. To simplify the method, the Pseudomonas fluorescens P-17 and Spirillum sp. strain NOX test bacteria were mutagenized by using luxCDABE operon fusion and inducible transposons to produce bioluminescent strains. The growth of these strains can easily be monitored with a programmable luminometer to determine the maximum cell yield via luminescence readings, and these values can be fitted to the classical Monod growth curve to determine bacterial growth kinetics and the maximum growth rate. Standard curves using acetate carbon (at concentrations ranging from 0 to 1,000 μg/liter) resulted in coefficients of determination (r²) between luminescence units and acetate carbon levels of 0.95 for P-17 and 0.89 for NOX. The bioluminescence test was used to monitor reclaimed water, in which average AOC levels range between 150 and 1,400 μg/liter acetate carbon equivalents. Comparison of the conventional AOC assay and the bioluminescent assay produced an r² of 0.92.Biodegradable organic matter is used by heterotrophic bacteria for carbon and energy. Easily biodegradable carbon can lead to high levels of bacterial growth (2, 7, 8). The assimilable organic carbon (AOC) assay offers a standardized measurement of the heterotrophic bacterial growth potential of treated water and was originally developed by van der Kooij (13, 14). van der Kooij''s method utilized two bacterial strains (Pseudomonas fluorescens P-17 and Spirillum sp. strain NOX) chosen for their nutritional requirements. AOC test results are considered to be more an indicator of the biological growth potential of the water and less a direct measurement of biodegradable carbon because the limiting nutrient may not be carbon (10). AOC is an important parameter governing the growth of bacteria in drinking water. AOC levels as low as 10 μg/liter can result in excessive growth of heterotrophic plate count bacteria in the absence of a chlorine residual. Even in the presence of a chlorine residual, AOC levels of >100 μg/liter have been associated with problems related to coliform and mycobacterium regrowth and possible regulatory noncompliance. High organic carbon levels, warm temperatures, and low levels of disinfectant residuals lead to water distribution system problems, including iron pipe corrosion, the growth of opportunistic pathogens (e.g., Mycobacterium avium, Aeromonas hydrophila, and Legionella pneumophila) in distribution system pipe biofilms, and bacterial regrowth in distributed water (9, 11, 13, 15). In distributed water, bacterial regrowth is perhaps the most significant mechanism for water quality deterioration between the treatment plant and the end user.AOC is the fraction of natural organic matter that is most readily used by bacteria for multiplication and is of greatest interest to drinking water utilities. Despite the recognition that variations in treatment practices (e.g., disinfection, coagulation, selection of filter media, and watershed protection) can have dramatic impacts on AOC levels in drinking water, few water utilities routinely measure AOC levels because of the complexity and difficulty of the method. Previous work attempted to simplify the method by measuring ATP instead of determining plate counts (10), but problems with commercial ATP measurement reagents discouraged utility laboratory adoption of this technique (3). The plate count and ATP methods are complex, time-consuming, and cumbersome, requiring a week or more of turnaround time before results are available. The methods are also expensive because of the technical labor involved in assaying ATP levels from filter-concentrated cells or in spread plating samples and determining plate CFU counts. These issues hindered routine determination of AOC levels and, therefore, strategies to optimize treatment for AOC removal. To simplify the method, P-17 and NOX test bacteria were mutagenized with luxCDABE operon fusion and inducible transposons to produce bioluminescent strains (4), but the engineered strains were shown to be marginally effective in low-sensitivity analog luminometers.The present work describes a rapid AOC test that uses the bioluminescent strains in conjunction with a sensitive, photon-counting luminometer. Combining the instrumentation and the bioluminescent derivatives has resulted in an easy-to-use AOC test that has been successfully applied to various water matrices. Standard curves were developed to determine the responses of the bioluminescent strains to various acetate carbon concentrations. Luminescence levels were converted to acetate carbon equivalents (based on standard curves) by using the Monod model, and maximum growth yield values were evaluated and compared. In addition, a yearlong study was conducted to measure the biological stability within reclaimed-water distribution systems from four geographically diverse reclaimed-water facilities that employed a variety of physical, chemical, and biological treatment combinations to treat wastewater effluents. In this study, average AOC levels were 10 times higher than those typically found in drinking water distribution systems and ranged from 150 to 1,400 μg/liter.     

Development of a Rapid Assimilable Organic Carbon Method for Water

A rapid method for measurement of assimilable organic carbon (AOC) is proposed. The time needed to perform the assay is reduced by increasing the incubation temperature and increasing the inoculum density. The ATP luciferin-luciferase method quickly enumerates the test organisms without the need for plate count media or dilution bottles. There was no significant difference between AOC values determined with strain P17 for the ATP and plate count procedures. For strain NOX, the plate count procedure underestimated bacterial levels in some samples. Comparison of AOC values obtained by the Belleville laboratory (by the ATP technique) and the Stroud Water Research Center (by plate counts) showed that values were significantly correlated and not significantly different. The study concludes that the rapid AOC method can quickly determine the bacterial growth potential of water within 2 to 4 days.     

Potential for biofilm development in drinking water distribution systems

Regrowth of micro-organisms in drinking water distribution systems is caused by the utilisation of biodegradable compounds which are either present in treated water or originate from materials in contact with drinking water. In the Netherlands most drinking water is distributed without disinfectant residual and regrowth is limited by achieving biostable drinking water. A combination of methods is used to assess the biostability of drinking water. These methods are: (1) determination of the concentration of easily assimilable organic carbon (AOC); and (2) assessment of the biofilm formation rate (BFR). Assimilated organic carbon concentrations in drinking water in the Netherlands range from a few μg C/l in slow sand filtrates and in ground water supplies to values of ～ 50 μg C/l in supplies using ozonation in water treatment. Biofilm formation rate values were found to range from < 1 pg ATP/cm(2)/d in supplies using anaerobic ground water as the source. Increase of heterotrophic plate counts is limited at AOC values below 10 μg C/l. At BFR values below 10 pg ATP/cm(2)/d the risk of exceeding the guideline value for aeromonads (90 percentile < 200 c.f.u./100 ml) is less than 20%. Calculations based on the decrease of the AOC concentration observed in distributions systems confirm that very low concentrations of AOC can cause considerable biofilm formation on the pipe wall. The methods for assessing the biostability of drinking water combine with the assessment of the Biofilm Formation Potential of materials in contact with drinking water, thus providing a framework, the Unified Biofilm Approach, for evaluating the biostability of drinking water and materials.     

Determination of the viability of Aeromonas hydrophila in different types of water by flow cytometry, and comparison with classical methods

The presence of Aeromonas spp. in water can represent a risk for human health. Therefore, it is important to know the physiological status of these bacteria and their survival in the environment. We studied the behavior of a strain of Aeromonas hydrophila in river water, spring water, brackish water, mineral water, and chlorinated drinking water, which had different physical and chemical characteristics. The bacterial content was evaluated by spectrophotometric and plate count techniques. Flow cytometric determination of viability was carried out using a dual-staining technique that enabled us to distinguish viable bacteria from damaged and membrane-compromised bacteria. The traditional methods showed that the bacterial content was variable and dependent on the type of water. The results obtained from the plate count analysis correlated with the absorbance data. In contrast, the flow cytometric analysis results did not correlate with the results obtained by traditional methods; in fact, this technique showed that there were viable cells even when the optical density was low or no longer detectable and there was no plate count value. According to our results, flow cytometry is a suitable method for assessing the viability of bacteria in water samples. Furthermore, it permits fast detection of bacteria that are in a viable but nonculturable state, which are not detectable by conventional methods.     

Determination of the Viability of Aeromonas hydrophila in Different Types of Water by Flow Cytometry, and Comparison with Classical Methods

The presence of Aeromonas spp. in water can represent a risk for human health. Therefore, it is important to know the physiological status of these bacteria and their survival in the environment. We studied the behavior of a strain of Aeromonas hydrophila in river water, spring water, brackish water, mineral water, and chlorinated drinking water, which had different physical and chemical characteristics. The bacterial content was evaluated by spectrophotometric and plate count techniques. Flow cytometric determination of viability was carried out using a dual-staining technique that enabled us to distinguish viable bacteria from damaged and membrane-compromised bacteria. The traditional methods showed that the bacterial content was variable and dependent on the type of water. The results obtained from the plate count analysis correlated with the absorbance data. In contrast, the flow cytometric analysis results did not correlate with the results obtained by traditional methods; in fact, this technique showed that there were viable cells even when the optical density was low or no longer detectable and there was no plate count value. According to our results, flow cytometry is a suitable method for assessing the viability of bacteria in water samples. Furthermore, it permits fast detection of bacteria that are in a viable but nonculturable state, which are not detectable by conventional methods.     

Biofilm formation in drinking water affected by low concentrations of phosphorus

Abstract: There are geographical regions where microbial growth in drinking waters is limited by phosphorus instead of organic carbon. In these drinking waters even a low amount of phosphorus can strongly enhance microbial growth. The formation of biofilm can be limited by low availability of phosphorus in drinking waters with low content of phosphorus. The formation of biofilms on polyvinyl chloride plates was studied in laboratory experiments with water containing 48 microg/L assimilable organic carbon and 0.19 microg/L microbially available phosphorus. We found that low additions of phosphate (1-5 microg/L PO4(3-)-P) to water increased microbial growth in the water and in the biofilm. The effect of phosphorus on microbial growth could be detected by determining either the microbial cell production or the content of ATP in biofilms. Also, in steady-state biofilms, microbial concentrations were higher with phosphorus addition as enumerated by heterotrophic plate counts on R2A-agar and acridine orange direct counting. This work confirms the earlier findings of the importance of phosphorus for microbial growth in humic-rich drinking waters.     

Heterotrophic plate counts of surface water samples by using impedance methods.

Membrane filtration, spread plating, and pour plating are conventional methods used to determine the heterotrophic plate counts of water samples. Impedance methods were investigated as an alternative to conventional methods, since sample dilution is not required and the bacterial count can be estimated within 24 h. Comparisons of impedance signals obtained with different water samples revealed that capacitance produced faster detection times than conductance. Moreover, the correlation between heterotrophic plate count and detection time was highest (r = 0.966) when capacitance was used. Linear and quadratic regressions of heterotrophic plate count and impedance detection time were affected by incubation temperatures. Regressions between heterotrophic plate counts based on conventional methods and detection times of water samples incubated at less than or equal to 25 degrees C had R2 values of 0.878 to 0.933. However, regressions using detection times of water samples incubated at greater than or equal to 30 degrees C had lower R2 values, even though water samples produced faster detection times. Comparisons between broth-based versions of R2A medium and plate count agar revealed that the latter correlated highly with heterotrophic plate count, provided that water samples were incubated at 25 degrees C and impedance measurements were conducted with the capacitance signal (r = 0.966). When the linear regression of this relationship was tested with 100 water samples, the correlation between predicted and actual log10 CFU milliliter-1 was 0.869. These results indicate that impedance methods provide a suitable alternative to conventional methods.     

Heterotrophic plate counts of surface water samples by using impedance methods.

Membrane filtration, spread plating, and pour plating are conventional methods used to determine the heterotrophic plate counts of water samples. Impedance methods were investigated as an alternative to conventional methods, since sample dilution is not required and the bacterial count can be estimated within 24 h. Comparisons of impedance signals obtained with different water samples revealed that capacitance produced faster detection times than conductance. Moreover, the correlation between heterotrophic plate count and detection time was highest (r = 0.966) when capacitance was used. Linear and quadratic regressions of heterotrophic plate count and impedance detection time were affected by incubation temperatures. Regressions between heterotrophic plate counts based on conventional methods and detection times of water samples incubated at less than or equal to 25 degrees C had R2 values of 0.878 to 0.933. However, regressions using detection times of water samples incubated at greater than or equal to 30 degrees C had lower R2 values, even though water samples produced faster detection times. Comparisons between broth-based versions of R2A medium and plate count agar revealed that the latter correlated highly with heterotrophic plate count, provided that water samples were incubated at 25 degrees C and impedance measurements were conducted with the capacitance signal (r = 0.966). When the linear regression of this relationship was tested with 100 water samples, the correlation between predicted and actual log10 CFU milliliter-1 was 0.869. These results indicate that impedance methods provide a suitable alternative to conventional methods.