Growing population, industrialization and rapid urbanization has changed the rate of water demand and consumption, consequently water supply. The need for usable fresh water has required all available water sources, which are rivers, streams, lakes to be put to use. On the other hand, most of the untreated sewage, household, industrial and chemical wastes are also being dumped into these same sources of water, thus polluting them.
Most strains of E. coli (Escherichia Coli) are harmless and often beneficial to human, except for E. coli O157:H7, which has emerged as a major cause of waterborne diseases. Enteric viruses are also causative agents of human diseases and cause wide variety of pathological symptoms and enteroviral infections, especially in children. As enteroviral epidemics are predominantly waterborne, water pollution poses immediate threat to human health. [1] In this article we explore contamination from this particular strain of E. coli bacteria (O157:H7) and enteric viruses, their potential threats and how to test the water for such contamination.
Bacterial Contamination
Bacterial contamination of water is usually in the form of coliform bacteria. Coliform bacteria live in soil/vegetation and in the gastrointestinal tract of animals and humans. They thrive in warm, wet and dark places.