Ref ID : 1609
James D. Berg and Liv Fiksdal; Rapid detection of total and fecal coliform in water by enzymatic hydrolysis of 4-Methylumbelliferone-beta-D-Galactoside. Appl.Environ.Microbiol. 54(8):2118-2122, 1988
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Three fluorogenic methylumbelliferone (MU) substrates were evaluated for rapid detection of total and fecal coliform bacteria (TC and FC) in drinking water. 4-MU-beta-D-galactoside, MU-heptanoate, and MU-glucuronide were used to determine enzyme activity as a surrogate measure of coliform concentration. Coliforms occurring in river water and in potable water artificially contaminated with raw sewage were tested. The initial rate of hydrolysis (F) of MU-beta-D-galactoside showed promise as an indicator of TC and FC within 15 min. (F) of MU-glucuronide was insufficient in the 15-min assay, and combinations of the MU substrates did not enhance (F). A direct membrane filter method incorporating MU-beta-D-galactoside into an agar medium allowed the detection of as few as 1 FC per 100 ml within 6 hr.