Can I do “Fecal Coliforms” with Coliscan?
A 2. Yes. The term “Fecal Coliform” just refers to coliforms that will grow at the elevated temperature of 44.5 C. Most strains of E. coli will grow at that temperature, and there are some other coliforms that may be of fecal origin also. So if you have an incubator that can be set at 44.5 C, you can do “fecals”. However, the protocol is for a two hour first incubation at 35 C before putting at the higher temperature, and if the incubator is an oven, you should seal the plates in a plastic bag so that they do not dry out during incubation. Proper protocol calls for a water bath incubator. It should be pointed out that the Coliscan media are superior to other recommended “fecal coliform” methods because the Coliscan media not only identify the presence and quantity of “fecal coliforms”, but differentiate between E. coli and other types of “fecal coliforms”. That is, the E. coli are always of fecal origin and they will appear as purple or dark blue colonies, while other “fecal coliforms”
Related Questions
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