Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-03T04:01:20.375Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Coli-aerogenes bacteria in soils

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

C. B. Taylor
Affiliation:
From the Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd., Butterwick Research Laboratories, Welwyn, Herts.
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The prevalence of the different types of coli–aerogenes bacteria has been determined in various soils collected from widely separated locations in the United Kingdom and in Denmark. Of the soils examined, 27% contained no coli–aerogenes organisms in 15 g. of soil tested. The number of these organisms in the positive soils was very low; only 11% had confirmed counts greater than 100 organisms/g. and 33% less than 1 organism/g.

The most prevalent organism isolated was Bacterium coli type I, whatever the location or vegetation type of the soil; intermediate type I, Bact. aerogenes type I and Bact. coli type II were the only other organisms of numerical importance. The annual application of large amounts of either farmyard or inorganic manures produces no permanently large population of coli-aerogenes organisms in soils.

Presumptive tests in MacConkey broth were unreliable, since only 6 % of the positive tubes from hill and moorland soils and 28 % from arable soils were confirmed as containing coli-aerogenes bacteria. Such discrepancies are considered to be partly due to coliform bacteria with weak lactose-fermenting properties.

It is considered that there is now sufficient experimental evidence to discredit statements that soil is the natural habitat of Bact. aerogenes or intermediate types of coli-aerogenes organism.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1951

References

REFERENCES

AMERICAN PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION (1946). Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Sewage, 9th ed.Published by the Association, New York.Google Scholar
Bardsley, D. A. (1934). The distribution and sanitary significance of B. coli, B. lactis aerogenes and the intermediate types of coliform bacilli in water, soil, faeces and ice cream. J. Hyg., Camb. 34, 38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bardsley, D. A. (1948). A Study of the coliform organisms in the Melbourne water supply and in animal faeces, with observations on their longevity in faeces and in soil. J. Hyg., Camb. 46, 269.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bergey, D. H. (1948). Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, 6th ed.Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins Co.Google Scholar
Buchanan-Wollaston, H. J. (1941). On tests of the significance of differences in degree of pollution by coliform bacteria and on the estimation of such differences. J. Hyg., Camb. 41, 139.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Koser, S. A. (1926). The coli–aerogenes group in soil. J. Amer. Wat. Wks Ass. 15, 641.Google Scholar
Mackenzie, E. F. W., Taylor, E. W., & Gilbert, W. E. (1948). Recent experiences in the rapid identification of Bacterium coli type I. J. gen. Microbiol. 2, 197.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ministry or Health (1939). The bacterial examination of water supplies. Rep. Publ. Hlth Med. Subj. no. 71, rev. ed.London: H.M.S.O.Google Scholar
Minkewitsch, I. E. (1930). Uuml;ber einige Bodenstämme des B. coli und ihre sanitäre Bedeutung. Z. Hyg. InfektKr. 111, 58.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, C. B. (1942). The ecology and significance of the different types of coliform bacteria found in water. A review of the literature. J. Hyg., Camb. 42, 23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, E. W. (1949). The Examination of Waters and Water Supplies (Thresh–Beale–Suckling), 6th ed.London: J. and A. Churchill.Google Scholar
Wilson, G. S., Twigg, R. S., Wbight, R. C, Hendby, C. B., Cowell, M. P. & Maieb, I. (1935). The bacteriological grading of milk. Spec. Rep. Ser. med. Res. Coun., Lond., no. 206. London: H.M.S.O.Google Scholar