|
Microbial
Indicator |
What
is it? |
Where is it
found?
|
Indicator/
Pathogen |
Where does it come from? |
Prevention
Mechanisms |
Can
it be removed? |
|
Fecal
coliform |
Smaller
group within the total coliform family |
Intestines of the warm blooded animals |
Indicator |
Fecal
contamination from municipal waste water discharges, leachate from
domestic septic systems, runoff or ground water seepage from livestock |
Monitor
urban stormwater; dispose of sanitary waste |
Treat
sewage at sites with poor soil; reduce nitrogen concentration |
|
E.
Coli |
Escherichia
coli,
one of the most common species of coliform bacteria; has a relatively
short life span compared to more general coliform |
Intestines of humans and animals |
Indicator,
but can be a pathogen |
Stormwater
run-off, sewer, overflow, or contamination that can come from: birds and
dogs on beac hes,
cows on nearby farms, and babies in diapers |
Clean
up fecal material left by dogs; keep any food on beach wrapped in plastic;
remove all litter so birds will not be attracted to the beach; keep
children in diapers |
Removed
through a disinfection process using bleach |
|
E.
Coli O157:H7 |
One
of hundreds of strains of bacterium Escherichia coli |
Cattle farms, lambs, goats, piglets, cats, deer, dogs, rabbits, humans; in
pastures and contaminated ground water |
Indictor,
but some are also pathogens |
Intestines
of healthy cattle; contaminated meat |
Drink
municipal water that has been treated with chlorine or other effective
disinfectants; avoid swallowing lake or pool water |
Prevention
measures may reduce the number of cattle that carry it and the
contamination of meat during slaughter and grinding |
|
Cryptosporida/
Giardia |
Infection
by spore forming protozoan, parasites that infect human intestines; passed
in the feces of infected persons and animals in form of cysts, which
remain in the ground for months and produce symptoms when ingested |
Water, ponds, reservoirs, other humans and urban run-off |
Pathogen |
Mammals
esp. livestock, dogs and wildlife |
Water
filters greatly reduce the risk of being infected; wash hands; avoid
swallowing water in lakes, ponds, and rivers |
Iodine
tablets are an effective treatment as is boiling water before drinking |
|
Coliphages |
Bacteriophages
whose hosts are strands of E. coli that contain the represented enteric
viruses which may be present in water contaminated with sewage |
Human, animal feces, and sewage |
Indicator |
Fecal
matter present in water (human or animal) |
Distinguish
between human and animal fecal material; indicator tests show whether
water is contaminated |
Under
development: presence and absence test for coliphages; more resistant to
chlorine than coliforms |
|
Enterococci;
Fecal Streptococci |
Among
the most antibiotic resistant bacteria from humans |
Feces of most humans and many animals |
Indicator |
Soil
and animal waste usually when near-shore water receives large quantities
of run off or freshwater flows |
Limiting
the use of vancomycin-like antibiotics in veterinary practice |
Clean
with a solution containing 500 ppm sodium hydrochloride |
|
Salmonella |
Type
of bacteria that causes typhoid fever and many other infections of
intestinal origin |
Food; pet reptiles |
Pathogen |
Mammals
(especially dogs) |
Practice
good food safety |
Ozone
treatment |