AWWA WQTC55045

Drinking water quality assessment involves the specific, sensitive and rapid detection of bacterial indicators in water samples. This work assesses the sensitivity of a new FISH method, combined with a physiological assay for direct enumeration at single-cell level of highly diluted viable Enterobacteriaceae cells in drinking waters. The approach (DVC-FISH) was completed by the use of a new direct detection device, the solid-phase laser cytometer (ScanRDI). The DVC-FISH method combined with ScanRDI detection make it possible to detect as little as one targeted cell in approximately 10(8) no targeted cells plotted on a membrane. This new approach as applied to a drinking water distribution system was investigated in this study. Includes 12 references, table, figures.