What are indicator bacteria?
In the case of the recreational water quality guidelines, the indicator bacteria are enterococci for marine waters and E. coli for freshwaters. These bacteria occur naturally in the gut of warm- blooded animals (humans, birds, dogs, sheep, cows etc.). The indicator bacteria themselves do not pose a significant risk to human health. Rather, they indicate the presence of faecal material, which contains disease-causing pathogens. The number of enterococci or E. coli per 100 ml of water that is measured and compared to guideline levels.
Microorganisms are a natural component of the environment, and they also inhabit the intestinal tracts of birds and mammals. When these bacteria are released into the environment, there is a chance that they may cause illnesses in people who come in contact with contaminated water. Indicator bacteria are selected groups of microorganisms which are found to indicate the liklihood of the presence of disease-causing pathogens. It is difficult to detect every pathogenic organism in the water due to the wide array of the microbes in the natural environment. As a solution, indicator organisms are used beacuse they are easy to detect. It is important to realize that indicator bacteria only suggest the presence of disease-causing organisms, and generally are not pathogenic themselves. The indicator bacteria currently used by the state health standards are total coliform, fecal coliform, and enterococcus.
Microorganisms are a natural component of the environment, and they also inhabit the intestinal tracts of birds and mammals. When these bacteria are released into the environment, there is a chance that they may cause illnesses in people who come in contact with contaminated water. Indicator bacteria are selected groups of microorganisms that are found to indicate the likelihood of the presence of disease-causing pathogens. It is difficult to detect every pathogenic organism in the water due to the wide array of the microbes in the natural environment. As a solution, indicator organisms are used because they are easy to detect. It is important to realize that indicator bacteria only suggest the presence of disease-causing organisms, and generally are not pathogenic themselves. The indicator bacteria currently used by the state health standards are total coliform, fecal coliform, and enterococcus.
