bacteria-terms

		Descriptions of the state of bacteria and bacterial cells
Term	Definition1	Comments
Coliform See below for Washington DC levels June 08 Dec 09	Gram-negative, facultative anaerobic rod-shaped bacteria that ferments lactose to produce acid and gas within 48 h at 35°C (FDA) -	The family Enterobacteriaceae are the coliform. Thirty cause about 50% of the hospital acquired infections: Escherichia coli (E. coli); Klebsiella; Citrobacter; Enterobacter; Salmonella; Shigella; Yersinia; Averyella; Budvicia aquatica; Buttiauxella noackiae; Calymmatobacterium; Cedecea; Edwardsiella; Ewingella; Hafnia alvei; Kluyvera; Koserella; Leclercia adecarboxylata; Leminorella; Moellerella wisconsensis; Morganella; Pantoea; Photorhabdus; Proteus; Providencia; Rahnella aquatilis; Serratia; Tatumella; Xenorhabdus; Yokenella regensburgei E. coli will double every 20 minutes at this temperature. Five percent of the water quality tests may contain these bacteria
Fecal coliform	Gram-negative, facultative anaerobic rod-shaped bacteria that ferments lactose to produce acid and gas within 48 h at 44.5°C	Thermotolerant members of the family Enterobacteriaceae are the fecal coliform. The primary thermotolerant bacteria were Escherichia coli and Klebsiella. Less than 5% growth rate will occur at this temperature. Class A sludge/biosolids may contain 1,000 heat inhibited colonies at the end of the test. Class B sludge/biosolids may contain 2 million heat inhibited colonies at the end of the test.
Disease causing bacteria	Tables	Thirty coliform disease causing bacteria in sewage sludge and water Other disease causing bacteria that may be in sewage sludge and water Heterotrophic bacteria, which include all pathogens,
Viable (living) bacteria	“A cell capable of dividing and forming at least one live daughter cell when it is placed in a favorable environment”.	Defining viability is difficult, mostly because there is no method to determine definitively whether an intact, dormant cell, under the right conditions, could be “resuscitated” and become metabolically and reproductively active. Metabolically active bacteria Bacteria actively engaging in detectable metabolic processes. The presence of metabolically active cells can be tested by indirect measurements, e.g., of enzyme activity, photosynthesis, respiration and energy charge. Metabolic activity is often equated with viability (Colwell, 2000).
Metabolically active bacteria	Bacteria actively engaging in detectable metabolic processes.	The presence of metabolically active cells can be tested by indirect measurements, e.g., of enzyme activity, photosynthesis, respiration and energy charge. Metabolic activity is often equated with viability (Colwell, 2000).
Dormant bacteria	Cells which have entered a “rest period” or “reversible interruption of phenotypic development” (Sussman and Halvorson, 1966).	Dormant bacteria do not metabolize, or else exist in a vegetative state and metabolize at very slow rates. Dormancy is a survival strategy used by bacteria when environmental conditions are unfavorable, for instance in response to low nutrient availability or danger of dessication. It may involvethe formation of a spore or cyst, but non-sporulating bacteria can also enter into dormant states. They do not reproduce while in the dormant state; however, they may be “resuscitated” and return to a metabolically active, reproductive state.
Culturable bacteria	Cells which have entered a “rest period” or “reversible interruption of phenotypic development” (Sussman and Halvorson, 1966).	In environmental samples, only a small fraction of viable bacteria are culturable, and the size of this fraction depends on the particular experimental technique used. Many investigators refer to the culturable bacteria count as “viable” bacteria, which is misleading. We use the term “culturable” bacteria to emphasize this important distinction. Note also that we use the term “culturable” to mean “culturable by a particular method”, which is how it is usually used in observational studies. This is different from the usage in the term “viable but nonculturable”, in which “culturable” bacteria are implicitly defined as cells which can be cultured by at least one available method.
Dead bacteria	Cells which are no longer capable of metabolic activity or reproduction, i.e., lysed cells and other cells incapable of being resuscitated.	It has been difficult to distinguish truly “dead” bacteria from those in a dormant phase. Unlike multicellular organisms, bacteria do not undergo a natural senescence and death sequence. A large number of methods have been proposed for distinguishing living bacteria from dead cells (Roszak and Colwell, 1987).

Adapted from
Online Supplement to “Bacteria in the global atmosphere— Part I:
Review and synthesis of literature data for different ecosystems”
S. M. Burrows and W. Elbert and M. G. Lawrence and U. P¨oschl
Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz, Germany
Correspondence to: S. M. Burrows (susannah.burrows@mpic.de)
November 3, 2009
http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/9/9263/2009/acp-9-9263-2009-suppleme nt.pdf

Washington DC
Coliform Content Report
http://www.dcwasa.com/waterquality/coliform.cfm
DC WASA collects over 200 samples monthly throughout the District and analyzes for coliform bacteria. The test
indicates whether any coliform are present in the sample. Most coliform bacteria are not harmful to ingest (your
intestines contain coliform that aid in digestion). EPA requires testing for coliforms because they can indicate the
potential presence of more harmful microorganisms. If DC WASA detects coliform, vigorous follow-up sampling and
testing is immediately conducted to ensure no harmful microorganisms are present.

EPA allows up to five percent of the samples collected in a month to be positive for total coliform. The graph below
shows the percent of monthly samples testing positive for total coliform over the past year. As shown in the graph,

DC WASA consistently is below EPA's requirements regarding bacteria levels in the water. However, immune
compromised people are at a greater risk in developing illness. WASA encourages immune compromised individuals
to consult with their doctor regarding extra precautions to avoid infection.

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Bacterial Terms You Should Know -- The Water and Wastewater Professionals Do, or do they?
1/30/2010
Jim Bynum, VP
Help for Sewage Victims

The burning questions we need to ask are:
1. Why would the water and wastewater professionals assure us that coliform bacteria do not cause disease?
2. Why would the professionals assure us minimal growth of E. col and Klebsiella at an elevated temperature is an
indicator that disease causing organisms may be present?
3. Are they lying to us or could it be these professionals just don't know?

Since the first documented E. coli outbreak in 1935, many plant, soil and water bacteria have been exposed to
human disease causing organisms in water and wastewater treatment plants. Genetic transfer of DNA has occurred
creating new forms of chimeric bacteria such as 0157 that are spread on farms, parks, school grounds and lawns.
Adapted Table with the addition of Coliform and Fecal coliform