water for drinking and cooking purpose must be made free from pathogens. these organisms include viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and helminths ( worms). Some organisms that cause disease in people originate with the fecal discharges of infected individuals . others are from the fecal discharge of animalsunfortunately , the specific disease - producing organisms present in water are not easily identified. the techniques for comprehensive bacteriological examination are complex and time consuming. it has been necessary to develop tests that indicate the relative degree of contamination in terms of an easily defined quantity. the most widely used test estimates the number of microorganisms of an coliform group . this grouping includes two genera : Escherichia coli and aerobacter aerogenes. the name of the group is derived from word " colon " . while E.coli are common inhabitants of the intestinal tract, Aerobacter are common in soil, on leaves, and on grain; on occasion they cause urinary tract infections. The test for these microorganisms, called the Total Coliform test, was selected for the following reasons: 1. The coliform group of organisms inhabits the intestinal tracts of humans and other mammals. thus, the presence of coliforms is an indication of fecal contamination of the water2. Even in acutely ill individuals, the number of coliform organisms excreted in the feces outnumber the disease-producing organisms by several orders of magnitude. the large numbers of coliforms make them easier to culture than disease - producing organisms.3. The coliform group of organisms survives in natural waters for ralatively long periods of time but does not reproduce effectively in this environment. Thus, the presence of coliforms in water implies fecal contamination rather than growth of the organisms because of favorable enviromental conditions. these organisms also survive better in water than most of the bacterial pathogens. This means that the absence of coliform is a reasonably safe indicator that pathogens are not present .4. The coliform group of organisms is relatively easy to culture. Thus, laboratory technicians can perform the test without expensive equipment. Current research indicates that testing for Escherichia coli specifically may be warranted. Some agencies prefer the examination for E. coli as a better indicator of biological contamination than total coliforms.
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